Miami Heat: Rookie Bam Adebayo continues to emerge
By Simon Smith
Amidst the ruins of a humiliating home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers was the continued impressive play of Miami Heat rookie Bam Adebayo.
Giving up 131 points to the Los Angeles Lakers was never going to end well for the Miami Heat.
Despite their humiliating 18-point home defeat, the Heat still finished the night with reason for optimism, and that came via the play of emerging rookie Bam Adebayo.
On a night where the Heat gave up their most points since a double-overtime loss to the Orlando Magic in December of 2016, Adebayo again demonstrated why he has been one of the NBA’s most impressive rookies this season.
In his customary role backing up starting center Hassan Whiteside, Adebayo posted 15 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes of action. Most notably, he was a team-best +5 while on the floor despite the 18-point loss.
Over the course of the season, Adebayo is now averaging 7.3 points and 5.4 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per game.
The most impressive aspect of Adebayo’s rookie season thus far has been the level of trust shown in him by head coach Erik Spoelstra. Thus far, Adebayo has averaged 6.9 minutes per fourth quarter in the 43 games he has appeared in during the final quarter, in comparison to Hassan Whiteside’s return of 5.8 minutes in just 27 fourth quarter appearances.
Since Jan. 9, Adebayo’s number has risen to 7.7 minutes per fourth quarter, further testimony to his continued improvement. Furthermore, the fact Adebayo has produced a net rating of +85.5 during this recent stretch in the fourth quarter is yet another indication of his elite standing as a first-year player.
Simply put, Adebayo’s versatility combined with this crazy athleticism has enabled coach Spoelstra to use him in a variety of lineups. At 6’10” and 255 pounds with a seven-foot wingspan, Adebayo’s lateral quickness combined with his tremendous defensive instincts has led to Spoelstra teaming the rookie with Whiteside at times for maximum size at the defensive end. While they have played just a total of 52 minutes in 11 contests, this is a pairing that certainly has scope for improvement as he season progresses.
Recently, Adebayo expressed his excitement at pairing with the seven-foot Whiteside:
"“I love playing with H [Whiteside]. Two shot blockers, two athletic bigs, and we both can facilitate. I try to just bring out the energy in H. Any time he does something, I’m always the first one to slap his hand and keep him motivated because sometimes he can get down on himself when he messes up. But it’s time to make plays and he’s playing well for us.”"
Adebayo’s overall hustle and energy was never more evident than during the first quarter of the most recent loss to the Lakers. Entering the game with the Heat trailing 20-9, Adebayo made an instant impact in posting eight points and five rebounds in the ensuing seven minutes. The end result was the Heat leading 36-33 by the end of the period, with Adebayo being a +14 during this time.
The product of Kentucky signified his first quarter impact with this spectacular block on fellow rookie Kyle Kuzma:
Currently holding a 32-30 record and clutching onto the eighth and the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race, every game from here on is vital. Adebayo’s presence will never be as important as their impending matchup with the Detroit Pistons and their forecourt pairing of Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin.
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With the Pistons just three games behind the Heat in ninth place, this game could be a true demonstration of just how far Adebayo has progressed in his debut season.