Pitt's Steven Adams Proves He's Real Deal In Greentree Summer League

The Greentree Summer league wrapped up last week, and even though Pitt recruit Steven Adams didn't attend the final game, he gave fans plenty of reasons to be optimistic about this season.

Adams' team won the championship and the Pitt big man was a big reason why. He averaged a double-double throughout the league and played well at both ends of the court. In eight games, he tallied 12 points and 12 rebounds per contest. Adams' scoring was a bit modest, but that doesn't mean he was without some huge performances.

In his opening game of the summer league, Adams collected a whopping 18 rebounds. He followed that up with perhaps his best performance of the summer with 15 points, 13 rebounds, and eight blocked shots. And in the regular season finale, he recorded personal bests in points (16) and rebounds (14). In a nutshell, Adams was a steady performer and, at times, even dominant.

While the summer league is a bit less structured and without the pressure of a regular season game, the fact that can't be ignored is that Adams played against some quality competition. In addition to facing some of his own Pitt teammates on other squads, he squared off against other Division I players and even some pros as several former Panthers were part of the league as well.

Adams mostly held his own throughout the summer and his worst game of the league was still a respectable one. In his final contest, the semi-finals, he had only seven points and seven rebounds. But that came against Chevy Troutman, one of Pitt's best players in the past decade and now a professional playing overseas. Troutman has several years of experience on the younger Adams and it's difficult to be disappointed that he outplayed him in that game.

Adams is yet to play his first game at Pitt and it's difficult to know how he'll handle Big East play. Balancing classes in a new country along with the grind of college basketball will be a test, but so far, Adams is looking like the real deal on the court.

For more on Adams and Pitt basketball, check out Cardiac Hill.