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Miami Heat: Why Bam Adebayo is poised to have a breakout season

By Kristopher Keaton

ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 4: Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat handles the ball against the Atlanta Hawks on April 4, 2018 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Kevin Liles/NBAE via Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 4: Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat handles the ball against the Atlanta Hawks on April 4, 2018 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Kevin Liles/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo had a solid rookie campaign, but he’s now poised for a breakout 2018-19 season.

Depending on who you ask, the Miami Heat have a real situation on their hands.

The disgustingly bad ending of the 2017-18 season for incumbent starter Hassan Whiteside has many wondering if a change is necessary. 

Short answer? Yes.

Long(er) answer? Yes, and it’s Bam Adebayo’s time now.

Although Adebayo’s numbers seem modest (6.9 points and 5.5 rebounds a game), we have to remember that he was mostly coming off the bench and playing in spurts as a rookie.

But when you adjust his numbers to per-36 minutes, those numbers jump to a solid double-double; 12.6 points and 10 rebounds per contest are very decent numbers, especially when you also add in 1.1 blocks during that time.

The numbers suggest that not only should Adebayo play more, but he should be the Heat’s starting center. 

The league has been trending toward downsizing for some time now.

Gone are the days where your center has to be 7-foot, 275 pounds and slower than a marathon-running turtle.

Adebayo’s size (6-foot-10 and 240 pounds) fits perfectly in line with what a majority of the NBA is doing at the position.

The Golden State Warriors’ beloved “Death Lineup” often features Draymond Green playing center, despite the fact that Green only stands at about 6-foot-6.

The Los Angeles Lakers are even tinkering with an idea of playing 6-foot-8 LeBron James at center, because of the versatility his game brings.

Adebayo obviously isn’t either one of those guys (yet), but his athleticism and versatility would be a nice breath of life into this current Heat team.

Part of the reason I’m not a huge fan of Whiteside, aside from the attitude issues, is that unfortunately he just doesn’t fit the NBA game anymore. Slow, plodding, lane-clogging bigs that can’t shoot aren’t just becoming dinosaurs, they already are.

Adebayo is more in line with what works right now.

He is the complete opposite of that, or at least he can be if given the opportunity. He has shown good ability to face up to the basket, has really nice handles and vision for a guy his size, and as mentioned before, his athleticism has the potential to be game-changing defensively.

At 21-years-old, Adebayo is obviously still raw, but he serves as the Heat’s best big man option moving forward into the new season.

Next. Miami Heat: Declining a Ryan Anderson trade was a smart move. dark

It’s time for Adebayo to shine bright.

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