Miami Heat rookie Bam Adebayo is getting no love from head coach Erik Spoelstra recently.
The Miami Heat magic show is in town and for their final act, they are going to make Bam Abedayo completely disappear.
Sounds interesting doesn’t it?
Will it work? Spoiler alert: it already did. But did it help the team out? Absolutely not.
Just last week, with Miami barely having tipped off the season, the rookie completely disappeared, but by no fault of his own. Instead, it’s seemingly due to lack of trust from the organization itself, something that is alarming in many ways. The Heat took a sleeper in Adebayo this summer, and while initial reactions weren’t necessarily positive, fans started to slowly understand why Miami was very keen on this Kentucky big.
His frame alone is a force to reckon with; standing at 6-foot-10 and weighing 243 pounds, his physical attributes are make for a dangerous threat down low. His game definitely needs work, sure, but with limited options at backup center, why isn’t he being utilized to his full potential?
And with constant injuries piling up, now is the time to take advantage.
Since the start of November, Adebayo has clocked in 18 total minutes, in seven games. His production has been stale due to limited time on the court, totaling just three points and six rebounds. All of which came during that awful deteriorating game versus the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors.
Miami ranks in the bottom 15 in defensive rating, and they continue to suffer in the second half. Their offensive woes are a major cause for concern and it gets worse when their shooting completely vanishes in the third quarter, leaving them to have to play catch up in the fourth.
Their last game against the Detroit Pistons is a good example of a poor performance after halftime. They were out-hustled offensively and defensively, specifically by 12 points and 15 rebounds. Reggie Jackson had 13 points in the final minutes, and Miami couldn’t find the answer to stop that fourth quarter run. Obviously, their defensive flaws continue to be a nuisance.
This is where Adebayo should have come into the picture. While he hasn’t been as efficient as we hoped, he has to get the benefit of the doubt being a rookie and working the transition to an official NBA player. And, Miami doesn’t have a better option to help relieve the pressure from Hassan Whiteside. Okaro White is another option, but has shown progress filling the four, to space the floor and continue their fast ball break.
Adebayo can hold his position down the post defensively. This should change that defensive landscape for the time being. As much as critics will continue to disregard Miami as a legit contender, they can at least start to defend themselves by shaping up their main issue which is defense.
If that first step is taken over these next couple of games, then maybe Miami will have a chance to submerge from beneath the .500 mark. Since nothing else is working at the moment, they may as well take risks.
Next: Miami Heat's Justise Winslow may find himself in a starting role soon
The reward might be higher than most expect.