Jimmy Butler is the Miami Heat's present, but Bam Adebayo is the team's future.
Adebayo wasn't touted as an All-Star caliber player when he got drafted out of Kentucky. However, his maniacal work ethic and dedication allowed him to become one of the best young players in the league.
The 6-foot-9 center knows how to push himself, but outside motivation has always been welcomed. In fact, Adebayo admits last season made him realize just how much opponents took his outside shooting lightly, per Brady Hawk of fivereasonssports.com.
“That was the biggest thing for me last year, I didn’t realize how much space I really had.”
Adebayo entered the NBA as an athletic big man with immense defensive potential. Through the years, the All-Star center invested countless hours in the gym to patch the holes in his game.
Bam Adebayo's breakout year came in 2019-20 when he upped his averages from 8.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game to 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per contest. Last season, he tallied a career-high 18.7 points per game.
In terms of shooting, he reached a career-best mark of 80% from the free-throw line. He also shot a career-best 45.5% from 10 to 15 feet.
Bam Adebayo is already one of the most complete big men in the NBA, but he's yet to reach his potential. Heat fans must be gushing over what their star center could become in the near future when he takes over the reins of the franchise from Butler.
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