As Heat opens camp, what’s next in the evolution of Bam Adebayo? A look at the possibilities
The Miami Heat added six-time All-Star guard Kyle Lowry and accomplished veterans Markieff Morris and P.J. Tucker this offseason in hopes of improving the roster. Those additions will certainly help.
But as the revamped Heat opened training camp Tuesday at FTX Arena, there’s also the opportunity for internal improvement through its 10 returning players. Among those on that list who could provide the biggest boost for the Heat with his continued development is center Bam Adebayo.
“I think Bam is one of the most unique younger players in this league because he has always been about impacting winning,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s his greatness, and he has understood that from a very young age and he has an incredible iron will and work ethic that is going to develop his game and it’s going to grow exponentially. That’s why I called him ‘No Ceiling’ before. I don’t know where that will go.”
Adebayo, 24, is already one of the league’s top defenders and has been voted onto the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in each of the past two seasons because of his unique ability to effectively defend every position at 6-9 and 260 pounds.
Adebayo’s offensive game is more of a work in progress — albeit a fast-growing one — entering his fifth NBA season. He averaged career highs in points (18.7) on 57 percent shooting from the field and 79.9 percent shooting from the foul line and assists (5.4) last season.
Last season, Adebayo showed off an improved midrange jumper and free-throw stroke. After shooting 22.3 percent (21 of 94) on midrange attempts in 2019-20, he made 42.4 percent (72 of 170) of those shots last regular season.
“He’s really worked at his game,” Spoelstra said. “If you look at his game from when he first came into the league, the second year, each year he has added to it and that’s what the great players all do. You’ll continue to see that. His midrange game, his free-throw shooting, we don’t take that for granted. The fact that he can draw fouls, he plays with physicality and then he makes free throws is really important for us. His range will increase, his playmaking will get better with experience.”
Last season didn’t end well for Adebayo and the Heat, though. During the Heat’s disappointing first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the eventual NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, Adebayo averaged 15.5 points on 45.6 percent shooting, 9.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals.
With the Bucks sagging off of Adebayo to cut off the paint, it was sometimes a challenge for him to find the right balance between being aggressive with open midrange jumpers that the Bucks gave him while still playing as one of the primary facilitators in the Heat’s offense.
Adebayo shot 3 of 10 on midrange jumpers in the series, did not attempt a three-pointer, and made just 9 of 17 shots (52.9 percent) from inside the restricted area against Milwaukee’s paint-packing defense in the four-game sweep. He shot 74.9 percent at the rim in the regular season.
So, what did Adebayo work on to make sure he has a counter for the next time he faces that type of protect-the-paint type of coverage?
“I would say obviously shooting,” said Adebayo, who told the Miami Herald that he put on 15 pounds this summer to become stronger. “That’s everybody’s big take on me. I want to be a shooter, so I’m going to say shooting, attacking the basket more, being more assertive and picking my spots where I can actually really excel at and just not getting bored with scoring off of that every play.”
Adebayo has shot 7 of 44 (15.9 percent) on threes in the regular season during his NBA career, but 32 of those 44 three-point looks have come out of desperation with less than four seconds remaining on the shot clock, according to NBA tracking stats. During Media Day on Monday, Adebayo said he believes he will take more in-rhythm threes this season.
Adding post moves could also help to diversify Adebayo’s attack. He scored on 49.3 percent of his post-ups last season (ranked around the middle of the league).
To Spoelstra, simply pointing to outside shooting and post-up efficiency as areas Adebayo can continue to grow in isn’t the proper way of analyzing his offensive game.
“He’s a unique player, so you can’t put him or look at him in a conventional way,” Spoelstra said. “I know there’s a lot of rhetoric about Bam’s game and where he should improve and how he should improve. I say this with respect, most of that rhetoric is from people that don’t really understand. When you understand what it really takes to win and how he’s going to improve in those areas, I think that’s what matters most.”
The addition of Lowry, an experienced point guard, should also help generate more quality looks at the basket for Adebayo.
“I think Kyle is just damn near a genius when it comes to knowing how to get people the ball and playing his role to a T,” Heat star wing Jimmy Butler said. “He takes a lot of the pressure off of myself, off of Bam and you just get to go do what you do. He’s a facilitator, he guards, he shoots the ball well, he can finish, he gets to the line. Obviously, that’s what we need, that’s what we want here. I think he gives Bam the room to just go and be who you are, and not worry about too much else.”
Adebayo is coming off the best two seasons of his NBA career. He won the Skills Challenge and played in his first NBA All-Star Game in 2020, helped lead the Heat to the NBA Finals in 2019-20 and averaged career highs in points, assists and steals last season.
Adebayo also just helped Team USA win a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics as its starting center.
Adebayo is due $28.1 million this season in the first year of a five-year, $163 million max contract extension he signed in 2020. He played on a $5.1 million salary last season.
Amid all of that success, Adebayo still hears the outside critiques of his offensive game. It’s part of the reason why he still wears shirts that have the message, “Thank you for not believe in me,” printed on them during workouts.
“It’s deeper than accolades. Everybody in this league chases something. It’s just motivation,” Adebayo said. “I love when people doubt me. I feel like a chip will make a monster, so I try to find stuff that will motivate me like UD’s rebounding record, that’s motivation. Seeing what D-Wade has done in his career in Miami, that’s motivation. That’s something that I want to do, that’s something that I want to be a part of and get that experience. So yeah, I don’t think that chip will ever leave. It’s embedded in me.”
Adebayo also knows how much the Heat depends on his growing game. That’s why one of his goals is to make the All-Star Game this season — because him making the All-Star Game would likely mean the Heat is winning a lot of games.
“Because I didn’t make it last year, it definitely fuels me,” said Adebayo, who was voted into his first and only NBA All-Star Game in 2020. “I feel like winning takes care of a lot of that. So my goal is to win so I can be an All-Star.”
This story was originally published September 28, 2021 at 1:17 PM with the headline "As Heat opens camp, what’s next in the evolution of Bam Adebayo? A look at the possibilities."
