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Miami Heat: 15 best draft picks in franchise history

By Bryan Toporek

MIAMI, FL - APRIL 21: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat brings the ball up the court in the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers during Game Four of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena on April 21, 2018 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Dwyane Wade
MIAMI, FL - APRIL 21: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat brings the ball up the court in the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers during Game Four of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena on April 21, 2018 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Dwyane Wade /
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Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
(Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Career stats with Miami: 69 GP, 6.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 51.2 FG%, 0.0 3FG%, 72.1 FT%

Is it premature to feature Bam Adebayo here after only one season in the NBA? Probably.

But given the flashes he showed as a rookie and the direction in which the league is headed, it’s difficult to imagine him not soaring up these rankings in the coming years.

Adebayo’s per-game output doesn’t stand out, but he was jostling for frontcourt minutes with the likes of Hassan Whiteside, Kelly Olynyk and James Johnson. As a rookie big man on a team with no shortage of offensive firepower—from Whiteside, Goran Dragic and Josh Richardson to Olynyk, Tyler Johnson and Dion Waiters—Adebayo’s role was to play sound defense, clean up the glass and convert easy shots around the basket.

A whopping 62.4 percent of Adebayo’s shot attempts this season came within three feet of the hoop, but he did flash the ability to step out and hit an occasional long-range jumper. As he works to stretch out his shooting range and become more consistent, he’ll become that much more of an asset to a Miami team that seems ready to part ways with Whiteside.

It’s telling that Adebayo played the exact same number of minutes as Whiteside during Miami’s first-round playoff loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, as head coach Erik Spoelstra seemed more comfortable using the rookie than his $98 million man. Whereas Whiteside’s defensive focus waned as the Sixers stretched Miami out with lineups featuring five viable 3-point threats, Adebayo’s lateral quickness allowed him to close out on shooters without sacrificing the ability to recover and protect the rim.

Adebayo, last year’s No. 14 overall pick, already appears to be a draft-day steal. The question moving forward is how quickly he can convince the Heat to give up on Whiteside and install him as their starting center.

Next: No. 11

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