Maximo Adams is quiet. Those who witnessed his North Carolina men’s basketball debut might be surprised to learn that.
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But leading up to games, the 6-foot-7 forward’s choice of music to “lock in” is “calming.”
“You know, like meditation,” said Adams, who describes himself as shy.
Fellow freshman wing Kevin Thomas simply described him, off the court, as a “really cool guy.” And before games, Adams just wants to focus. Everything that happens after, though — the person that he turns into once he feels the energy of the crowd — that’s his “alter ego.”
UNC got a taste of that on Friday, and a preview of how valuable it might be to the Tar Heels this upcoming season. Adams got rowdy: he was flying all over the floor, flexing his arms and screaming after defensive stops and putbacks. That’s not him off the floor, he said, but he thinks it does set him apart on the court. It all contributed to an impressive debut, with the freshman contributing 11 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes during the Tar Heels 88-70 win over Southern Cal in Greensboro.
Adams said after the game that it feels good to get “rowdy.” But pressed further on why, his in-game energy seemed to be something that he had to do rather than something he was forcing himself to do. He feels all this energy from the crowd, he explained, so he has to exert it somehow. It’s innate that when he gets in the game, he’s going to turn up.
“I think the level of intensity I play with and the motor that I play with,” Adams said, “I think that sets me apart.”
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And that should have tremendous value in the role he’s playing, if Friday’s exhibition was any indication. Adams entered the game at a time the energy was stale for the Tar Heels, who were working their way through a slow start to the Michael Malone era. Malone called a timeout at the 17:01 mark of the first half, seeming frustrated. In came Adams to replace 7-foot-1 big Sayon Keita.
Adams has never come off the bench in his career, he said. He was rated four stars and in the top-35 by both 247 Sports and On3 Sports out of Sierra Canyon High School. But his game provided exactly the energy required for a bench jolt. He’s not just an energy player: he said he can play inside-out, and connected on a pair of 3s in the game. But less than two minutes after checking in, at the 15:17 mark of the first half, he grabbed an offensive rebound. And 49 seconds later, he grabbed another, put back a layup and roared.
Those, Adams explained, are simply “effort plays.” Adams said that his ability to impact offensive rebounding while crashing from the wings is also about timing, but the freshman forward also looked like he just wanted the ball more than others in those scenarios.
“You can’t really teach those things,” Adams said.
Many players are taught to play hard. But Adams seemed to indicate on Monday that it’s a skill. He doesn’t take plays off. Players are going to get tired, he said, so he needs to get into good enough shape that he could use that to his advantage. That’s what “separates the good from great,” Adams said.
This is a different role for him, but there’s really no difference in the way he has to prepare for how he can impact a game in the starting lineup or off the bench. He has to play as hard as he can.
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“Come in the game,” Adams said, “you gotta do what you got to do.”