Miami Heat: 3 goals for Bam Adebayo in the 2019-2020 season

Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat(Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat(Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
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Miami Heat
MIAMI, FL – APRIL 9: Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat drives to the basket during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 9, 2019 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. 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 2019 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

Dominant Post Presence

Miami Heat fans know Bam Adebayo can be crafty and versatile when it comes to fast transition breaks, but he still has more to prove when it comes to the post presence.  In the paint, his tough exterior can maneuver his way for easy buckets, but defensively he can become so much more.

Last year in 82 games played, he ranked 29th with overall total rebounds with 597.  The majority of those games as part of the second unit. The 6’10’’ big man has the frame to become more physical in the paint and with that see an increase defensively as well as offensively.

He has the stamina and efficiency to become a top 10 defensive player next year.  A tough but realistic goal for the new starting center for the Miami Heat. He currently ranks in the top 10 in box-outs per game with an average of 7.8 per outing.  He is actually 7th to be exact, just behind Joel Embiid.

So Bam Adebayo can be a force to reckon with and entering his third year he has the tools and the roster around him to help establish himself as a well-rounded center next year.  He also has the ball-handling skills that most centers struggle to adapt.

But as long as the agile big guy can rely heavily on his defense first, we could see a major jump from this Heat team.  A jump that could fill the gaps where the Miami Heat struggled vastly last year. A change in that sense that could be coming soon.