Bam Adebayo’s 2nd All-Star Berth Grants Him the Recognition He’s Due
Thank the basketball gods for Bam Adebayo.
No this is not an official quote from a member of the Heat organization, but you have to think that these very words were uttered or thought (probably both) at multiple points throughout what has proven to be an up and down 2022-2023 campaign.
Consider this for a moment. As recently as December 6th, the Heat were taking a nosedive down the standings coming off a heartless 20 point loss to the Detroit Pistons, which dropped their season record to a disappointing 11-14. It was their second loss in a row and third in the previous four. Bam in particular was impressive in that game, shooting 9/16 and posting a double double with 21 points and 15 rebounds.
In the midst of a season that featured encouraging wins and backbreaking losses, the man known as Bamonte has been the one constant force driving the team towards success that probably is not expected at first glance. “On the season he is averaging an impressive 21.5 points, 10 rebounds, and 3.2 assists to boot. He ranks fourth among centers in scoring (21.6), up from 19.1 a season ago. He leads the NBA in paint points, and his 54.3 shooting percentage is 22nd in the league. He’s eighth among centers in rebounds per game (10.0) and sixth among centers in assists per game (3.1)”, per the Miami Herald.
Still, it never seemed as though Bam was getting the proper amount of media attention considering he might be the best two-way force at his position in the entire league. Jimmy Butler is typically the face of the Heat when they are brought up in conversation, but he has not been available as much as Bam this season and his best days are more than likely behind him at age 33. In the days leading up to the selection of the All-Star reserves, it was still a toss up on whether or not the Heat’s star center would find his way onto the exclusive 12 man Eastern Conference roster. Based on the fan vote, he was not even an afterthought, failing to crack the top ten in frontcourt votes, while impressive, but inferior players such as Kyle Kuzma and Paolo Banchero found their way onto the fan vote ballot. He got brutally honest about his place amongst the voters a couple of weeks ago: “I’m going to be upset about if they tell me somebody else has played better than me this year considering I’m leading the NBA in paint points and I’m one of the reasons why we’re winning,” Adebayo said. “So for me, it’s just that fan voting is fan voting. I’ll let that be. But when it comes to coaches voting, that’s when I feel like I deserve to be in it.”
Fast forward to the dawn of February and Adebayo has found his place among the very best in the game, deservedly so. Clearly he has been recognized by the league coaches as a worthy addition, but a deeper dive into his game is required to truly understand what he brings to the Heat and the league as a whole.
Expanding Offensive Game
Early in his career, Bam’s role on offense was limited to simply finishing plays using openings created by then teammates Dwyane Wade among others. 71% of all his shots were assisted per Cleaning the Glass and a large majority (73%) majority of his shots came at the rim which are all attempts within four feet of the basket. If he was converting, more than likely they were shots that came off of lobs and putbacks. His figurative bag was still a work in progress, but there were glimpses of a player who could one day create efficient looks for himself both inside and outside the restricted area.
Fast forward to this current season and the script has flipped in a big way. His shot profile has become more diverse, with only 41% of his shots coming at the rim and 58% from the mid range. The later number places him in the 99th percentile of all players at his position. During the 2020 playoffs, he was guarded by Brook Lopez and dared to shoot jumpers from 12 feet and beyond, which he did so with reluctance.
Now teams are having no such luck when guarding him in this manner. Bam has gone from scarcely putting up half hearted mid rangers to intentionally seeking them out and hitting at a high clip. He’s dropping in 47% of those attempts, which places him in the 66th percentile at his position. That is very impressive considering his volume from that area of the floor. We’re not just talking about standstill jumpers either, more often than not he is tasked with making tough turnaround jumpers over defenders who are conscious of the fact that he is proficient in that area of his game sometimes needs to hit those shots just to get the bottom five Miami Heat offense out of the mud.
He isn’t limited to those long mid rangers either, as sometimes the coverage of his opponents necessitates generating looks within the “in between '' range known as the floater zone. Short mid rangers are also within his wheelhouse if the situation calls for it.
As previously mentioned, Miami struggles to put points on the board, more often than not. Through 54 games, the Heat rank a paltry 25th in offensive rating per Cleaning the Glass and 27th according to Basketball Reference. In terms of points per game, they only put up 108.5, which in today’s day and age is very poor. They rank 30 out of 30 in that scoring metric. If you think the scoring situation couldn’t be any worse for the Heat, you’d be mistaken. If not for Bam’s repeated bail out performances, the team would be much further down the standings and much worse off on both sides of the ball.
After losing PJ Tucker in free agency, the team was left with a hole at the four position that has yet to be filled with a proper full-time starting Power Forward. Bam entering the second year of his max rookie extension was asked to do more for the team than ever before and struggled a bit out of the gate before hitting his stride. Adebayo’s usage has increased each and every year, hitting a new career high of 25.1% this season, which is among the highest at the Center position. He is also averaging a career high 35.1 minutes per game and 15.9 shot attempts per contest. Not only is he maintaining impressive efficiency marks across the board, but he is doing it while under huge pressure to produce just to keep the team float.
So what happens when he’s off the court? Well, as you may imagine, nothing great most of the time. The Heat score +6.4 more points per 100 possessions when he is on the floor as opposed to off. Doesn’t seem like much at first glance, but that ranks in the 91st percentile among his peers.
The offensive side of the ball only tells half the story of Bam Adebayo’s All-Star case, however. For years, the 25 year old big man has been a staple of the Heat’s defensive identity and that train has not stopped this season.
Invaluable Defensive Versatility
It’s been well known since Bam entered the league that he is more than capable of taking charge on the court with his defensive prowess. From stifling Giannis down low to keeping up with Curry’s dribble flurries on the perimeter, there isn’t a single one on one matchup in the league that would put Bam at a major disadvantage. Not only that, but he is a terrifying help defender at the rim.
On more than one occasion Bam has finished in the top five in voting for the Defensive Player of the Year, but to this point, has not been able to claim the award for himself. Despite this missing piece of hardware, it has been universally known that over the past three years, Bam has been one of the very best at making life a living hell for the opponent both on the perimeter and in the paint. His presence alone has boosted Miami's defense to one of the every best in the league, despite several less than average perimeter defenders and the lack of size around and next to him in just about every lineup. BasketballNews.com contributor Mat Issa wrote a very interesting article on what makes the Heat such a dangerous defensive team and unsurprisingly, Bam was at the forefront of the conversation.
"This isn’t breaking news or anything, but Adebayo is one of the few players in the association who can literally guard all five positions. This means that offenses can’t try to hunt him off the dribble on the switch. Not only can he hold his own against players one through five, but one could argue he is the least discriminate defender in the league. It doesn’t matter what your anatomical structure entails. When you enter Adebayo’s world, you get one heaping scoop of shutdown."
Although the team's defensive performance has slipped in recent weeks, the fact that the team currently ranks 4th in efficiency on that end of the floor per CTG through 61 games speaks to the connectivity of their entire roster and the importance of Adebayo in order to make that rank possible.
Cleaning the Glass has comprehensive on/off numbers for just about every player in the league and the numbers for Bam are impressive to say the least. The Heat have performed better on defense when he is in the game each season of his career and this year is no different. For 2022-2023, the team gives up 4 less points per 100 possessions and opponent effective field goal percentage is down 1.8% when he is on the floor.
All of these strengths that Bam can boast on a night to night basis places him among the very best in the league, especially at the center position. Now he cannot take over games on the same level that someone like Jokic or Embiid can, but he is still a mismatch nightmare for 99% of his opponents, has a relentless motor on defense that allows him to be deployed as an on ball defender, or help side shutdown artist. Lastly, we can forget about his ability to be a passing hub in the high or deep post. doubling him can sometimes play right into Miami's hands, as the big man loves to get his teammates involved on the offensive side of the ball. He has ranked in the 75th percentile or higher in assist percentage for his position per CTG. This season? He has managed to hit a mark of 15.7% in that stat, placing him in the 88th percentile. He peaked at 26.8% in 2020-2021(!!), but has turned some of his focus on that end to creating shots for himself, as the makeup of the team has necessitated more aggressive behavior from Adebayo in the past couple of seasons.
Let this evolution of Bam Adebayo serve as a reminder to the rest of the league that he might be the most versatile and most complete big man in the sport. This uber talented monster in South Beach is more than deserving of the glory and recognition he finally seems to be receiving from his peers and the media alike.