Miami Heat: 3 goals for Bam Adebayo in 2018-19

2. Increase agility

Adebayo is equipped with good length and jumping ability. His 7’1″ wingspan and 33.5 inch standing vertical should enable him to average at least 1.5 blocks per game eventually. He had several games last year where he played less than 20 minutes and recorded two blocks (including one where he only played six minutes) and a five-block performance against the Toronto Raptors.

Defending on the perimeter is a different story. While Bam is a good athlete for his size, he can’t be relied on to stick with wings on pick-and-roll situations … yet. His quickness allows him to occasionally keep up with wings on defense. He even had some flashes last season of sticking with some of the NBA’s best perimeter players.

This made Adebayo one of the best rookie defenders last year. Yet, he still isn’t able to put the clamps on perimeter players on a consistent basis. Increasing his lateral quickness will allow him to beat wings to spots and stay in front of them. It would also make him a better help defender.

Becoming more agile will make Adebayo a very useful defender in today’s perimeter-centric league. As traditional centers become more and more obsolete, Adebayo’s athleticism will allow him to be a versatile defender for years to come.