Miami Heat: Bam Adebayo proving to be a genuine building block

Having shown tremendous improvement throughout his rookie season, Bam Adebayo is quickly securing his future with the Miami Heat.

The 2017 NBA Draft is quickly establishing itself as one rich in talent.

Having narrowly missed the postseason after their rampaging 30-11 finish to last season, the Miami Heat entered the draft with the No. 14 overall pick. Traditionally, selecting at the backend of the lottery represents the ability to selected a talented player, but far from a “sure thing.” Over recent years, players such as Denzel Valentine, T.J. Warren, Marcus Morris and Patrick Patterson have fallen to pick No. 14 in their respective draft classes — good players, but far from franchise-changers.

Enter Bam Adebayo.

Following a season at Kentucky in which he averaged 13.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, Adebayo was seen as having immense potential, but was still very raw and unproven. The following is an excerpt from his scouting report on the highly reputable Draft Express:

"“Adebayo is a shade undersized for a center, but has the length and athleticism to compensate, as well as a chiseled frame that will allow him to hold his own against NBA big men from day one. He also possesses impressive mobility and agility for his size, which he uses to be the first big man down the floor in transition or switch onto guards in the half-court, and impressive quickness and explosiveness which give him good potential to grow into defensively and as a rebounder.At this point, Adebayo’s offensive game is unrefined, doing most of his damage around the basket, where he finished 66% of his attempts according to Synergy Sports Technology. He has good hands and is very quick off of two feet, where he looks to dunk every shot possible “"

Thus far, Adebayo has certainly matched what the early projections had forecasted. He is clearly an elite athlete, with his versatility at both ends of the floor providing head coach Erik Spoelstra with amazing flexibility moving forward. As Spoelstra noted recently:

While it seems outrageous for a rookie to be able to guard all five positions, Adebayo has already displayed this ability on multiple occasions this season. One prime example was when the Heat played host the Golden State Warriors, and Adebayo was stuck on a switch on the perimeter onto Stephen Curry.

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In addition to his defensive abilities, another way Adebyo has been able to set himself apart has been via his playmaking abilities. Through his first 48 games, Adebayo has managed to dish out 80 assists, which includes nine games of four or more assists. Notably, the Heat have posted a 7-2 record over this span.

Conversely, the Heat’s starting center Hassan Whiteside has not excelled in this area. In 255 career games, Whiteside has dished out a total of 124, posting three or more assists on just four occasions.

This combination of defensive flexibility and providing an extra dimension on the offensive end has seen Adebayo surpass Whiteside in late-game situations as the season has progressed.

Over the course of the season, Adebayo has played in the last quarter of 39 games, averaging 6.9 minutes per game over this span. For his part, Whiteside has played in the final quarter of just 24 games, averaging 5.7 minutes per game.

Things have gone to another level in recent times, with Adebayo playing in every last quarter of the past 10 games.

Overall, Adebayo has averaged 7.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per game, while shooting at a 54.9 percent clip from the field. Moving forward, the next step in Adebayo’s game will be his ability to stretch the floor and hit the perimeter shot.

Thus far, 72.8 percent of Adebayo’s field goal attempts have come within five feet of the rim. While he has shown the capabilities of hitting from the mid-range, as evidenced by shooting at a 35.5 percent between 10-19 feet from the rim, this is certainly in which he can become significantly more efficient.

Next: 2017-18 Week 18 NBA Power Rankings

Overall, having Adebayo maintain his high level of play down the home stretch of the season is going to be vital, with the Heat currently holding onto eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings with a 30-27 record.