Miami Heat: Bam Adebayo’s deserving argument for Most Improved Player

The improvements from Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo have made him a deserving candidate for this season’s Most Improved Player honor.

The Miami Heat went from a non-playoff team last season to currently the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference as they sit at 41-24. While the addition of Jimmy Butler has proved to be an important acquisition, the impact of Bam Adebayo has been the spark for the Heat all season.

With Hassan Whiteside now out of the picture in Miami, Adebayo has had more opportunities to improve and develop every aspect of his game in his third NBA season at only 22 years old. As a result, he’s easily improved in almost every statistic, which has led to earning his first NBA All-Star appearance.

Adebayo has become what I would call a coach’s dream player since he can now do just about everything for his team. The fact that he has become a better scorer, rebounder, passer, and defender at his position this season has made him the ideal contributor to Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra’s squad.

Aside from his improved numbers, the best aspect about Bam Adebayo and what I admire most about his improved impact this season is his physical and mental capabilities. He’s become much stronger and has mostly improved his basketball IQ.

This article will analyze how the improved physical and mental aspects of Bam Adebayo and its transitions to the court have made him the most deserving and ideal candidate for the Most Improved Player honor this season.

Initially, Adebayo’s improved strength due to his tireless work ethic and physicality has made him a better scorer around the rim. It’s impressive for a 6’9” center like Bam to consistently thrive in the interior against defenders with more height and length offensively.

Posterizing the back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert off the dribble against the Utah Jazz in the clip above is a prime example of strength. Not many players have the ability to succeed on such an attempt, but Adebayo’s improved muscle strength has given him the capabilities of dominating opposing defenders in the paint offensively.

There’s no denying how much athleticism and quickness that Adebayo possesses. He’s always had that aspect in his game, but he’s become better at utilizing it while reading defenses and taking advantage of the situation, especially in pick and roll situations.

Watch how Adebayo initiates the pick on Patrick Beverley against the LA Clippers, then quickly slashes toward the basket so Beverley shifts above the screen. That allows his teammate Goran Dragic to penetrate with space and eventually find an alley-oop passing lane for him once his defender, Montrezl Harrell in this case, to step up to stop the ball. With Adebayo’s athleticism and quickness, he makes it look easy to capitalize on those passes once he intentionally forces the movement of opposing defenders.

This shows how Adebayo has improved his basketball intelligence on noticing how and when he can take advantage of defenders with his abilities, and utilizing the pick and roll has become his most efficient usage. He was mostly hesitant and lacked confidence last season, but he has certainly raised the mental aspect of his game this season.

The improved offensive production from Adebayo this season has been an impressive transition, almost doubling his points per game from 8.9 last season to 16.2 this season. His passing has been much improved as well, more than doubling his assist rate from 2.2 to 5.1 per game.

In addition, the defensive presence from Adebayo has been even more impressive in my opinion. His increased basketball IQ combined with his versatility, athleticism, and physicality has made him an elite defender in the NBA today.

Adebayo has shown that he can consistently defend any position on the court, and has stepped up when defending superstars around the league, including the MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks.

It’s relishing to see a center like Adebayo move his feet at that quick of a pace while staying vertical and then blocking a piece of Antetokounmpo’s shot attempt as he penetrates toward the basket, something most defenders have been unable to accomplish.

His versatility and adaptations as a defender, both physically and mentally, have improved tremendously, and his unique qualities are what every coach wants to see in a defender at his position.

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Adebayo can now serve as both an anchor for the Heat defense with his length and high IQ, and as a lockdown individual defender with his versatility and athleticism. There aren’t much centers in the league capable of that. Bam Adebayo’s value has risen significantly this season.

The Miami Heat All-Star is currently averaging 1.3 blocks and 1.2 steals per game, compared to 0.8 blocks and 0.9 steals last season. He’s also currently tied for fifth in Defensive Win Shares among NBA players behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Rudy Gobert, and Brook Lopez, per Basketball-Reference.

The Heat only give up 108.9 points per game and Bam Adebayo is one of the main reasons why. He’s become an elite and reliable defensive weapon throughout this breakout season of his.

The tireless work and preparation that Adebayo has implemented into his game is paying off, and I believe it has allowed him to improve more than any other NBA player this season. From a rotation player last season to an All-Star this season, it has been an incredible transformation.

When looking at his improved aspects this season offensively and defensively, there’s no doubt in my mind that Bam Adebayo should be awarded the Most Improved Player honor. The physical and mental leap that he’s made from last season to this season has skyrocketed, and the success that both he and the Miami Heat have had on the court so far this season is evidence of that.