The Miami Heat has had a stellar start to the new season, and there's no denying that third-year big man Bam Adebayo has been instrumental in his team's success thus far. Recently, the 22-year-old opened up about how he sees his future in the league, and according to Adebayo himself, he considers Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard to be somewhat of a role model.
“You can’t just be one of those guys where the whole league knows what you are and categorizes you as that and you accept that,” Adebayo said, via Michael Pina of SB Nation. “I want to be one of those guys who expands his zone. Kind of like what Kawhi did.”
There's no doubt that the reigning Finals MVP is one of the best players in the game today, so to try and pattern your game to one of the greats is certainly going to be a compelling challenge for any player. For his part, Adebayo appears to be more than willing to put in the hard work to achieve his goal.
The 6-foot-9 center then went on to say that much like most players in the league, he too has All-Star aspirations. However, he also made it clear that these individual goals are only secondary to what he hopes to achieve with his team.
“I’m a person, and everybody wants to be an all-star. Nobody wants to just be a role-player,” he said. “I’ve thought about it. But the number one goal is to keep winning, so I’m more focused on that than being an all-star, honestly.”
The Heat are currently 18-6 overall, and remain undefeated at home in 11 contests. Adebayo's efforts have not gone unnoticed, and at this point, it is clear that the future is bright for the former Kentucky standout.
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