Bam Adebayo had a solid rookie showing for the Miami Heat, and fans should expect nothing but growth from him come 2018-19.
The Miami Heat are going all in on their young core for the future, and a major asset to that group is rookie Bam Adebayo.
Adebayo, a reach at the 2017 NBA Draft, has made major strides exceeding any Miami Heat expectations. The No.14 overall pick had a solid rookie year, despite the projected limited time he had on the floor.
At times, he was even called upon eventually leading to some starts in Hassan Whiteside‘s absence.
In 69 games played, 19 of those starts, he averaged 19.8 minutes per game, doubling down as both power forward and center. He has learned a great deal from both perspectives, shadowing Whiteside and Kelly Olynyk, having learned toughness and grit from one, and finesse and style from the other.
It might seem presumptuous to think Adebayo can one day go head-to-head with the greats at their position, but isn’t a bad start from an analytical perspective. His work ethic is on another level and it looks like he has slowly merged into the Heat culture at well.
All at only 21-years-old.
Some draftees always struggle their first years, but Adebayo shined over the rest of the centers from the draft. He even outshined Zach Collins, who was drafted four spots ahead of him. The fact that Adebayo can also shift to a forward position, is basically an added bonus for Miami.
Now moving forward, how can Miami continue to extract that explosiveness within Bam Adebayo’s game?
Here are three goals in mind that should be the Heat’s main priority.