With the Miami Heat's new and improved offense giving them early success, despite the most recent 107-101 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the results are hard to argue with. As Heat star Jaime Jaquez Jr. is in the midst of a resurgence, benefiting from the new system among others, one player who has had to change to start the season is Bam Adebayo.
The change was on display on Thursday night in the loss against the Spurs, as he finished the contest with a game-high 31 points to go along with 10 rebounds and three assists. With the cut down of pick and roll situations and the offense being more free-flowing, Adebayo has especially stressed his three-point shot and cutting down on looks within the restricted area.
In the loss to the Spurs, Adebayo shot the ball 13 times from beyond the arc, the most ever attempted in his career, and only had five looks within the restricted area. While the question is if there should be more of a balance, Adebayo would say that the aim is for him “to be a three-level scorer,” according to The Miami Herald.
“That’s the goal, to be a three-level scorer in this league,” Adebayo said. “That’s hard to guard when you can shoot threes, get in the paint. But also if they dare you to make a middy, you can make one.”
“People used to get mad that I didn’t shoot the ball,” Adebayo continued. “So, working on my game, trusting my shot. All my teammates believe. They’ve been working out with me; they see that I can get hot. Just keep moving from there.”
Heat's Bam Adebayo is “growing” when it comes to his game
While Adebayo isn't satisfied with the Heat's new offense just yet, since he wants to see the team sustain it throughout the rest of the season, it's hard to deny the statistics so far. Miami leads the league in pace with 107.30 possessions per 48 minutes and also averages 125.4 points per game, fifth most in the NBA, after five games.
Still, the team needs someone to look up to, and there is no one better to do it than the captain himself in Adebayo, who Erik Spoelstra said is “growing his game every single year.”
“Bam is growing his game every single year, and that’s another aspect that’s been happening now for a year and a half,” Spoelstra said. “And that will help us. It’s helping our attacks and ability to get into the paint for other guys. When you can kick out to him, it also gives him an opportunity to put the ball on the floor versus close-outs.”
It remains to be seen how Adebayo continues to develop his game in the new system with the next game on Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
