Miami Heat: Why Bam Adebayo should be an All-Star Starter

The Miami Heat knew they had an All-Star entering the season, but definitely not two of them. Here is why Bam Adebayo was snubbed as an ASG Starter though.

Coming into this year, most considered the Miami Heat an afterthought, and that was even after acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Philadelphia 76ers. Lots of the national NBA media people around the league thought the loss of Hassan Whiteside was going to be too big a loss for them to overcome.

Some of them apparently didn’t even know who Bam Adebayo was if you listen to what they told you, such as Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports but even if you had asked Miami Heat fans, they were a little suspicious of if Adebayo could be the full-time center. The first person in the organization to speak highly of Adebayo was Miami Heat Legend Alonzo Morning. He said that Bam can be the future of the Miami Heat, with no hesitation, plainly and simply.

With all that being said Adebayo came out this year during the first “half” and proceeded to average 15.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per contest. Adebayo has basically checked off all the boxes that you would want a starting All-Star center to have.

He’s been the anchor defensively for this Miami Heat team, while his ability to switch onto the one through five positions in today’s NBA is such a luxury to have. Offensively, Adebayo’s ball-handling and playmaking have been getting national attention with regularity this season, something that Heat faithful knew he had in his arsenal and yet another luxury for coach Erick Spoelstra.

A couple of years ago, experts would say that the new age center looked like Clint Capela, but now it’s Bam Adebayo. Like Capela, Adebayo can switch onto any other man on the floor, but that’s where the similarities stop.

Adebayo can run an offense, execute with expert level playmaking ability, and at such an efficient clip that his distributing has made him a top passing center in the league. This comes in handy especially with Miami not having a true point guard on the floor at times this year.

Adebayo from time to time will go coast to coast off the rebound, grabbing and going as it’s called by some. With the Miami Heat being the second seed as of now, it clearly makes Adebayo an All-Star Starter, or at least it should.

Although unrelated, it is stunning how Bam has jumped to not only All-Star caliber but he has done it while also placing himself firmly in the running for the Most Improved Player award.

At the beginning of the year, the question was who would be the Miami Heat’s second star player to pair alongside Jimmy Butler? I think we found the answer in snubbed All-Star starter but hopeful All-Star (you better get this right), Bam Adebayo.