NBA: Top 10 candidates for 2019-20 Most Improved Player

With the Hassan headache officially off South Beach, the time is now for Bam Adebayo to establish himself at the franchise center for the Miami Heat.

Adebayo started 28 games last season for the Heat, despite the presence of Hassan Whiteside. With Whiteside traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in the four-team tradeapalooza that brought Jimmy Butler to Miami, Adebayo has a chance as the full-time starter to find the next level.

Now 22 and entering his third NBA season, Adebayo put up 8.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 23.3 minutes per game, shooting 57.6 percent overall while going 3-for-15 (20 percent) from deep.

His free throw percentage inched up a bit from 72.1 percent as a rookie to 73.5 percent last season and while he won’t be the rim protector Whiteside was, he also won’t be nearly as disruptive to the team’s chemistry.

The biggest area where Adebayo can make a leap is in protecting the ball after he had a 17.1 percent turnover rate — unsightly for a big man who was the third or fourth option on offense.

But Adebayo is strong around the rim, converting 71.6 percent of his attempts in the restricted area with 117 dunks.

His range improved last season — he made 41.5 percent from three to 10 feet and 37.3 percent from mid-range, and it’s likely Adebayo will continue to try to stretch his range.

The Heat were 1.6 points better per 100 possessions with Adebayo on the floor last season, which could be significant for a team that only narrowly missed a playoff berth.

With Butler on board to be the closer and perimeter defensive presence, Miami will be looking to go a lot further than 39 wins and an early end of the season in 2019-20.

Adebayo’s development in the middle could have a lot to say about how the Heat fare in accomplishing that.

Miami hasn’t had a Most Improved Player winner since Isaac Austin in 1996-97, with Rony Seikaly the only other Heat player to win it (1989-90).