The Miami Heat have announced that they well excercise the third-year option on center Bam Adebayo's contract via Twitter.
https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1039923620766785537
Adebayo was selected No. 14 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft out of Kentucky. In his one year playing for John Calipari, he averaged 13 points and 8 rebounds. At 6-foot-10, Adebayo is a little undersized at the center position. However, his core strength and quick vertical jump make up for his lack of height. His 7-foot-1 wingspan and quickness allow him to play power forward as well.
Adebayo will be the backup center this season, behind Hasaan Whiteside. He gave them valuable minutes last year, averaging 6.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists while logging just under 20 minutes a game. His Heat lost to the 76ers in five games in the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
His numbers took a dip in the postseason. He fell to 3.4 points and 4 rebounds in his lone playoff series. He also shot an abysmal 21.4 percent from the free throw line, which was far from the 72.1 percent he shot from the charity stripe during the regular season.
Nevertheless, he is a player that will continue to get better with experience. As he enters his second year, he should expect comparable minutes to what he saw last season. If he has worked on developing a mid-range game over the offseason, his ceiling and importance to the franchise will continue to rise.
Until he proves he has acquired this skill, Adebayo will be a tenacious rebounder that Heat fans can look for to throw down a thunderous dunk from tie to time.
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