4. Take the ball coast-to-coast at least once a night
When NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced Adebayo was Miami’s selection in the 2017 NBA Draft, one reason for the backlash among Heat supporters was due to the big man’s supposed lack of skill.
At Kentucky, the 6’10” center attempted nearly two-thirds of his shots in the painted area according to Hoop-Math.
Nevertheless, while working out in front of Heat officials before the draft, Adebayo made it apparent he hadn’t shown his entire repertoire while in college. And it didn’t take long for him to make that clear to fans of the Miami-based franchise as well.
Over the past few weeks, the former Wildcat has dazzled audiences with displays of dexterity and touch uncommon for a man of his girth.
Bam Adebayo is disturbingly fast with the ball in his hands.
— Danny Leroux (@DannyLeroux) July 12, 2017
One brilliant example came in one of Adebayo’s final Summer League appearances.
Men his size shouldn’t be able to move that swiftly and nimbly down the court, and that was far from the only time he brought the ball down like that during his seven-game Summer League stint either.
So as our next goal (admittedly, we’re asking for a lot here), we want to see Adebayo attempt to go coast-to-coast at least once on a nightly basis.
It may not always work — in fact, more often than not, it will likely end in a turnover — but it’s an element of his game that, if unlocked, will make opponents wary whenever he picks up a defensive rebound.