Miami Heat rising star Bam Adebayo didn’t make the Team USA FIBA World Cup roster this past summer, and it may have been a good thing for him, but not for San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.
Popovich, who is the Team USA head coach, admits he has shaken his head several times this season watching Adebayo play after cutting him from Team USA:
Pop on Bam, who was cut by USA Basketball last summer: "He's actually, from what I see, he's a different player now that he was when we had the tryouts. In general, when I said he wasn't quite ready, he didn't show what he can really do." (more)
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) January 15, 2020
(more) "I think that was maybe a product of the guys that he was around. He was in a different environment. He probably deferred more than he needed to. Maybe he was a little unsure of himself, that kind of thing. If that same tryout was today, he'd look a lot differently at it."
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) January 15, 2020
More Pop on Bam: "Now that you see him during the season, I've shaken my head several times. That's not the guy that we saw during the tryout. Maybe that was my fault. Maybe I should have done it differently so his skills could come out."
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) January 15, 2020
Bam Adebayo is playing like an All-Star this season for the Heat. He’s averaging 15.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 59.3 percent from the field and 68.4 percent from the free-throw line.
Adebayo is the second-youngest player in Heat franchise history to be named Player of the Week after Dwyane Wade. Bam averaged 20.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists during the week he won the award.
After missing the playoffs last season, the Heat are well on their way to making it this season. They will ultimately go as far as Jimmy Butler and Adebayo can take them.
As for Popovich, cutting players from Team USA is always tough. There's so much talent in the gym and the coaches can only take a select number of players.
It’s clear as day the Heat made the right decision by not trading Adebayo this past summer in a deal for Russell Westbrook or Chris Paul. He's a gem in Miami.
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