Davante Adams reveals which players his game is inspired by, including two former NBA stars
Davante Adams is one of the smoothest route runners of this generation, using some of the best releases off the line of scrimmage you’ll ever see. It helps him get open quickly against even the league’s top cornerbacks, making life much easier for his quarterback in the pocket.
As you’d expect, Adams draws inspiration from a variety of players for his own game – and it’s not exclusive to the NFL. He’s watched a pair of NBA players and taken things from their skill sets, putting them into his own.
During an appearance on ESPN LA radio, Adams revealed who his game is inspired by and he immediately mentioned former NBA stars Allen Iverson and Deron Williams.
“To be honest with you, Allen Iverson and Deron Williams and that basketball background is kind of what took me more over to the football world and I found that I could use some of the things that made me – especially in basketball – I could kind of use that skill set to and gear toward the way I move and the way I run my routes, the way I release off the line and I think there's been more basketball influence than football influence over time,” Adams said.
Adams has a basketball background, having played the sport growing up before getting into football as a high school junior. For that reason, he watched a lot of NBA and admired the games of both Iverson and Williams.
When he was first getting started in football, players he grew up watching didn’t have similar styles to his own, so he went back to his basketball roots for inspiration.
“Especially when I was young, a lot of the guys that I liked, they weren't even my skill type necessarily or my body type,” Adams said. “I was a big Santana (Moss) guy so that that helped me kind of learn how to run routes. Ocho (Chad Johnson) being one of my big influences then and now, and obviously Randy Moss being the best wideout of all time. That's been my number one guy since I've learned the game, too.”
One other receiver whose game he's taken pieces from is Keenan Allen. While not exactly the same type of receiver, Allen’s game influenced Adams as a West Coast wideout at the University of California.
“I wouldn't say that a lot of those guys are even my exact skill type but, you know, guys like Keenan Allen that are a little bit closer to me in age, but watching him – because I didn't start playing football until my junior year in high school,” he continued. “So having a guy like that when I'm trying to learn the position and watching him over at Cal, that was a big influence on me, for sure.”
When watching Adams, you can see the basketball elements in his game. He has quick feet at the line of scrimmage and sets up defenders with what’s almost like a crossover, getting them to lean one way and going the other.
Adams has become one of the best receivers of the last decade thanks to all the pieces he’s taken from other players, including those who put up prolific careers on the hardwood.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams WR Davante Adams draws inspiration from Allen Iverson
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