For what seems like all year long, the Miami Heat were looking for another backup big. With Precious Achiuwa struggling in his rookie year, the Miami Heat needed someone to cover the Bam Adebayo-less minute’s and they’ve found that in Dewayne Dedmon.
Dedmon has been such a find for them since they agreed to terms with him on April 8th. For lack of better terms, Dedmon has been good just being big for Miami.
With Dedmon having quicker feet on defense than expected, even though he gets beat off the dribble at a decent rate, he still make’s the opposing ball handlers work for their buckets. Dedmon plays really hard, just like Chris ” Birdman” Anderson did for Miami during the 2012-2013 season.
But my favorite thing that Dedmon has provided for Miami is the fact that he is able to successfully spell Adebayo for minutes, as mentioned. Adebayo plays a lot of minute’s for Miami and has so much on his plate.
The Miami Heat needed a big man to add to their rotation and Dewayne Dedmon was just sitting there.
Whether it’s running the Miami Heat offense or guarding everyone on defense, to say Adebayo needs a rest in a game or two every now and then would be an understatement. So, Dedmon being a great backup big is huge for them, in general but more specifically, Adebayo’s rest.
Dedmon is pretty efficient around the rim too, as he has a soft touch and great hands. He’s also hit his free throws at a surprising rate of 86.4 percent.
That makes sense though, as if you are looking at his past seasons, Dedmon has been pretty a good free throw shooter traditionally as well. At 73.8 percent across his career and for a big guy, that is huge for Miami.
That, again, jives well because Bam is also a good free throw shooter. It helps that neither of the main bigs at the point, the guys that are traditionally the worst shooters on the court from the stripe, are poor there.
While it is still a marvel that he was just sitting at home and waiting to be snatched up, once he got to Miami, he just needed to get his legs underneath him to get his motor back revving. Since then, he’s been nothing less than a steal for Miami.
Dedmon has done everything and more for this Miami team, who desperately needed a big body. He should continue to be huge for them as the season closes and the postseason commences.
At least, that should be the hope.