MIAMI – With Bam Adebayo leading the Miami Heat in the win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night, 122-120, it was a career game in a certain aspect that shows the versatility the team captain possesses. As Adebayo and the Heat look to bring the same energy to the Golden State Warriors on Monday, Adebayo would send a message to his doubters.

There's no denying that Adebayo's offensive capabilities are always a talking point of the fanbase and the basketball world, especially during the few-week slump that the star was in. Before last Tuesday's win over the Phoenix Suns, the big man had averaged 11.4 points per game, shooting 37.1 percent from the field and 21.7 percent from three-point range in the 11 games prior.

In the win over the Thunder, Adebayo scored 30 points, making a career-high six three-pointers in 10 attempts, to go along with 12 rebounds and four assists. When asked about the “couch coaches,” a term Adebayo has used for critics online, his response was stern.

“I don't care about what anybody says about me offensively,” Adebao said. “They're gonna move the goal posts for me every night. I don't shoot enough, I'm not being aggressive, shooting too much, it's the wrong shot diet. So my teammates, my coaching staff, they know what I'm capable of. Obviously, every shot that I take, I work on all the time, and Spo [Spoelstra] knows that. Spo sees it.”

“So it's not a shocker that I shoot certain shots, or people are looking at my shot charts, and I'm shooting too many threes…” Adebayo continued. “I ain't gonna say that's every night that I'm gonna shoot 10, but you play the right way, and then you're open…So I have enough confidence in myself to shoot that motherf*****.””

Bam Adebayo adds “another element” to the Heat, per Norman Powell

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) protects the basketball from Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) during the third quarter at Kaseya Center.
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

While Adebayo seems to be out of his slump with the Heat, Saturday's outing was a taste of what the 28-year-old could offer every single night, with the three-point shot being a relatively new wrinkle in his game throughout the past few seasons. As he's currently hitting it more efficiently throughout the past three games, it adds “another element” to Miami, as said by star Norman Powell.

“It's another element, him being aggressive and assertive, and not hesitating in his threes,” Powell said after scoring 19 points in the win over the Thunder. “We want him to be aggressive, we want him to attack, we want him to take what the defense gives him, you know. And I thought these last couple games, you know, he's playing with a clear mind, clear head, and he's just making the read, taking what the defense is giving them, and attacking and living with the results. But when he's knocking down shots like that, the floor opens up for us…So him and his versatility is huge for us.”

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Heat's Bam Adebayo on his impact against the Thunder

With the Heat looking to turn around its inconsistent season after the win over the reigning champions, it will no doubt be off the back of Adebayo, who has been a building block for Miami since being drafted with the 14th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Adebayo continues to make history for the team, like climbing the rankings of major categories like having the second-most rebounds and second-most points scored in Heat history, with the latter having been achieved last Tuesday.

Besides the offensive talent, Adebayo has been known for his play-making, rebounding, and especially his defense, all showcased against the Thunder as highlighted by head coach Erik Spoelstra.

“Bam [Adebayo] was sensational. When you have one of these kinds of games where you just have to do it by any means necessary, you want somebody like Bam leading the way, leading the charge,” Spoelstra said to ClutchPoints. “It was his competitive will. He's being so decisive now offensively, and you're getting the whole package. You're getting the scoring, you're getting the play-making, you're getting the facilitating, you're getting all of it.”

“You get an offensive rebounding, and then defensively, you know, even he was there everywhere, you know, tonight,” Spoelstra continued. “But even that last play, you know, we're shadowing, trying to keep the ball from going to [Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander], and then he just threw it right back to Caruso. Bam was the one who rotated to force them to be a little bit of a different trajectory.”

At any rate, Adebayo and the Heat look to build off the win over Oklahoma City with the team starting a five-game road trip on Monday night against Jimmy Butler and the Warriors.