Miami Heat: 3 ways Erik Spoelstra needs to utilize Bam Adebayo

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) looks for an open teammate as Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) blocks in the fourth quarter on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018 at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Fla. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/TNS via Getty Images)
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) looks for an open teammate as Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) blocks in the fourth quarter on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018 at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Fla. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/TNS via Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 24: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers fights off Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat at Wells Fargo Center on April 24, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers won 104-91. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 24: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers fights off Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat at Wells Fargo Center on April 24, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers won 104-91. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

Unconventional Defense

It seems like the sky is the limit for a guy like Adebayo.

Coming to a team like the Heat, who have a renowned staff and connections to Juwan Howard and Alonzo Mourning to help him, should be the best thing that’s ever happened to him.

And I don’t seem to be the only one who agrees with this.

If opposing scouts truly do see the world in Adebayo, then surely the Heat staff do too. And if that’s the case, then they need to start following through on these intuitions.

Spoelstra has to give Adebayo as many opportunities to sink or swim. That means letting him step out of his comfort zone and seeing if he can flourish.

There are three situations in particular that I personally think Spoelsta could put him in to see how he does. First, give him the ball in the post and give him free reigns to make the correct passes. Then, play him at the 4 while Hassan Whiteside plays center for ultimate rim-protecting, but also letting Bam space out a bit. And lastly, run more of a pick-and-pop game with him, as defenders are obviously wary of his rolling ability.

Most coaches wouldn’t want their big men switching to the perimeter to cover the likes of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler or LeBron James 1-on-1…

But there goes the young buck.

This isn’t to say that Bam is a lockdown wing defender or can do no wrong. But the Heat need to continue to let him be in unconventional situations and see how it plays out, in order to truly find out what his potential is.