Miami Heat: How good can Bam Adebayo become?

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo has shown to be a very well-rounded and skilled player in just his first two seasons. How good can he be at his peak?

The Miami Heat‘s mediocre season has been masked by Dwyane Wade‘s retirement tour. The legendary shooting guard has been the focus of Miami this year as his Hall of Fame career comes to an end.

Other than that, there isn’t much to talk about with the Heat, who currently sit in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a 34-36 record. As they look to begin a new era after Wade retires, they already have one great building block to start: Bam Adebayo.

Fresh off a promising rookie season, the 6’10” big man has improved on what made him impactful last season. He’s a significantly more efficient scorer and improved defender, but not many people realize it simply because of Wade’s retirement tour.

It’s also due to the abundance of talented young big men in the league. Other young big men like Karl-Anthony Towns, Deandre Ayton and John Collins impress because of eye-popping highlights and impressive stats.

Adebayo doesn’t generate as much buzz as they do, but he can impact winning as much as they can. He has a somewhat hidden impact on the game, but that doesn’t mean it’s nonexistent. If basketball were a movie, he’d be an editor because his impact is clearly there; it just goes unnoticed.

Since Hassan Whiteside was already an established center, Adebayo didn’t get the chance to start right away. Recently though, Miami has put him in the starting lineup, and he has shown what he can do with a bigger role.

Over the last 11 games, Bam has averaged 11.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 blocks in just 26.4 minutes a night on 64.8 percent shooting. Miami is 8-3 in those games, including two wins over the Charlotte Hornets and a blowout win against the Detroit Pistons — two teams Miami will be fighting with for playoff seeding.

As the Heat push for the postseason, starting Adebayo gives them a different look than starting Whiteside. Bam’s playmaking abilities and energy on defense differ from Whiteside’s sturdy inside presence. While Adebayo spent time last season as a raw bench player, he’s a starting-caliber center now. Still, he has so much more room to grow.

As small-ball lineups become more popular and utilized, Adebayo can become the perfect small-ball center — able to switch on defense, space the floor on offense and be physical inside. He can also handle the ball in the open court and rack up assists, which are nice bonuses. Some guys that currently fit this description are Draymond Green, Al Horford and Pascal Siakam, all of whom are All-Star caliber players.

Each of those three has one part of their game that is advanced (defense for Green, 3-point shooting for Horford, athleticism for Siakam). Adebayo doesn’t yet, but that’ll be a huge part in his development this summer.

His jump shot mechanics look solid, so he could work on fine-tuning his jumper, making him a legit scoring threat outside the paint. He could also improve on rebounding by getting stronger and improving his jumping. He already boxes out more than almost everyone.

Right now, Adebayo has the makings of a well-rounded center. He’s physical inside, but he can also handle the ball. He’s strong and agile. Most young players create their impact on one or two areas of the game, but Adebayo has shown to be impactful in a multitude of areas. He could eventually become an all-around player that can have a huge impact on his team.

This is what Bam Adebayo can become when he reaches his potential. It’s impossible to say what happens with the other big men in the league over their careers, but Adebayo should be able to compete for All-Star game bids at the very least. His combination of skill and size allows him to be a versatile player. If he can hone in on his talents and possibly add parts to his game (like an outside shot), he can become a beast.