Miami Heat: 3 goals for Bam Adebayo come 2018-19

Apply More Pressure

Another goal that needs to be a focal point for young Adebayo is pressure on defense.

We know he can shift to the forward position and become an offensive threat from the perimeter and the wings on pick and rolls, but he needs to level out the two-on-one attacks defensively and apply pressure down the lane.

He has shown patience in isolation plays and needs to continue with that approach before becoming as easy pump fake target. This wasn’t the case against the Milwaukee Bucks in the regular season.

At the 17-second mark, he faces off against Giannis Antetokounmpo and doesn’t back down even after the first pump fake. He analyzes the opponents’ movements and predicts the fake approach, limiting his attempt to go up with a misguided block.

Great vision during this play lead to the block and steal.

We see it once again in minute 1:03, but this time assisting a fellow teammate on an isolation play.

He needs to switch on more defensive plays like these.

Adebayo was handling a man-to-man defense, when he saw the quick transition on the other wing and saw the opportunity to apply pressure, to defend what could’ve been an easy bucket for the Bucks.

He has great basketball IQ to know when to take that decision, instead of covering one opening only.

The brighter light at the end of all this is despite a LeBron James-less Eastern Conference, they are still deep contenders in front of Miami.

With the Boston Celtics leading the way, the Philadelphia 76ers right behind, as well as the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors fighting for a top spot, the Heat need tenacity if they want to be taken seriously as well.

If the Heat’s short to long term plan is the reliability of their young core, then Heat fans should be excited for the future. Especially if they continue to see improvement like they did in Bam Adebayo’s rookie year.