Bam Adebayo is making strides as a solid backup center to Hassan Whiteside for the Miami Heat. His toughness and athleticism is beneficial to his growth.
I was furious. I remember it as if it were yesterday, sitting upright on my sofa, eyes practically glued to the screen and watching that countdown. Then you hear those marvelous words from commissioner Adam Silver that is music to fans ears of sub-.500 teams everywhere. “With the 14th pick in the 2017 NBA draft, the Miami Heat select … Bam Adebayo.”
Wait, who?
Was this a mistake? Now granted, most of my wish picks were already off the board, but Bam Adebayo over Justin Jackson, John Collins, and T.J. Leaf? Really? What were the Heat planning? Most of his college career, Bam was outshadowed by the likes of Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox, but his effectiveness as a post big man didn’t go unnoticed. He just wasn’t the ideal pick many were thinking.
Fast forward to today and despite a 4-5 record, Miami is taking full advantage of its collective depth. The Heat are working in different lineups to mesh and see what truly works best. Bam has gotten a chance early on to prove his doubters wrong and is putting in work to make strides as an integral part of this second unit. In other words, Miami’s decision to pick Bam at No. 14 is being justified with his play.
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When Hassan Whiteside was out with a bruised knee, he quickly gained head coach Erik Spoelstra’s confidence resulting in his first ever career start. Since then he’s had three career starts in only nine NBA games. That’s impressive considering no one really predicted any of this preseason opener.
You can clearly see he is a rookie and adjusting to the pace. The transition to the NBA is going to take time and a lot of patience. But, on the bright side, Bam is definitely a gem. While he may not be automatically suited as a starter, lacking a lot of experience to hold that position, in a short time he has earned himself a solid role as backup center to Whiteside.
He’s only averaging 3.9 points and 4.1 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per game over seven appearances, but in those three starts, he put up 7.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game on 47.4 percent shooting.
What’s more intriguing at this point is his dedication to learn the timing defensively and offensively, and that is something that even some NBA rookies struggle years to achieve. In just a few games, he has proven to be a great screener for a rookie and is learning the ropes very well for someone of his build. He is also finding ease in getting open during transition plays — something that he will learn to excel in with Whiteside as a mentor.
He is still months, possibly even years from reaching his full potential, but his quick start integrating into the NBA life is off to a great start. Just his presence with this second unit is enough to intimidate guards trying to get around him for a pick-and-roll. He just bombards the paint with his quickness and athleticism.
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Keep an eye out for this rookie. He may not be in the running for Rookie of the Year or even be considered in that conversation, but he is learning the game at a fast pace. If given the right opportunity and time, he can become a threat for any second unit testing his game in the paint.