Miami Heat: 5 goals for Bam Adebayo’s rookie season
By Frank Urbina
2. Surpass Willie Reed‘s 2017 averages
After weeks of speculation about the reserve big man signing elsewhere, Willie Reed finally did just that on July 18. According to ESPN’s Chris Haynes, Reed agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Clippers on a one-year, $1.5 million deal.
That’s unfortunate for the St. Louis product, as the contract he opted out of with Miami was worth more than that when taking Florida’s lack of state income tax into account. I have a feeling he may be looking for new management sometime soon.
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It’s a steal of a contract for Los Angeles, as Reed was one of the NBA’s better backup centers in 2016-17. For the duration of last season, the 6’11” big man averaged 5.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game, while shooting 56.8 percent from the floor.
He also scored 1.13 points per possession as the pick-and-roll “roll man” — a mark that bested All-NBA First Team center Anthony Davis.
For our purposes, all we ask of Adebayo is to surpass those marks.
While Reed was quietly excellent, his raw averages of five points and five rebounds a night weren’t anything to write home about. Miami’s new athletic, young center should be able to match them at the very least.