Steven Adams has lots of distinctive traits.
The long hair. The bushy beard. The intricate tattoos.
Still, my eye is always drawn to the circles on his left shoulder. Watch the Thunder for long, and you’ll see them. They’re about the size of a chocolate chip cookie, and they range in color from deep purple to faded brown.
They’re like the crop circle of bruises — not something that would happen naturally.
They are the remnants of cupping therapy, and while Adams has been largely mum about why he has used the procedure — the big man generally doesn’t cop to anything that might signal physical weakness — he did offer a brief explanation during the 2018 playoffs.