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

Grinding It Out

This one has to be the simplest.

Bam Adebayo looks like he loves the game more than Hassan Whiteside. Bam Adebayo looks like he hustles more than Hassan Whiteside.

Bam Adebayo looks more like a Miami Heat player than Hassan Whiteside.

In the 2017-18 season, Whiteside averaged 25.3 minutes a game while Bam got 19.8 minutes. And although he played in 15 more games than Whiteside, Bam only got four more total minutes than him.

Moving forward, this has got to be reversed.

And while I like Kelly Olynyk and James Johnson, it might be time to start moving a couple minutes of their time to the center too.

Yes, all of those players I just listed have some heavy dollar figures (over $10 million) associated with their names. But it’s time to do what needs to be done. They’re already locked into the money and especially with Whiteside, it doesn’t seem like there’s an inkling of a future in South Florida beyond this contract.

An argument can be made that Josh Richardson (1st in minutes per game), Justise Winslow (8th in minutes per game) and Bam (11th in minutes per game) should be given every opportunity to develop, especially with each of them being under the age of 25.

So they need to suck it up. Realize that the money is lost regardless. And start appropriating minutes based on current play and future potential.

Basically, this video sums it up for me.

Watch Adebayo compared to Whiteside.

I rest my case.

Bam Adebayo has a bright future ahead, especially if Spoelstra utilizes him correctly.