The Miami Heat’s defense is what it is, in large part, due to Bam Adebayo and his versatility there.
Where Adebayo stands out the most is on the defensive end, as he can guard 1-5 like its nothing. Adebayo has quick feet and gives his opponent just enough space to feel like they can attack him, only to body them up once they make a determination.
Having Adebayo on defense makes the Miami Heat defense tricky, at times. With Adebayo, Miami likes to switch too much for my liking.
Yes, Adebayo gets a lot of stops on switches but because of Adebayo’s switching ability, he lands on the perimeter and Miami gives up a second chance point. I’ve seen enough of it, to be frank.
Adebayo and the coaching staff should be more selective with when to switch or not. I’d like Miami to get another wing to help out as well ( get it done Pat), which if chosen correctly, could vastly help out the Miami Heat and Adebayo.
I could go on and on about Adebayo guarding the perimeter and locking up your favorite player, but I won’t. However, I will say that Adebayo’s next step as a lockdown guy is to be better at protecting the rim.
He is okay protecting the rim, but for him to be a future Defensive Player Of The Year winner, then that is the next step for him as a big of his quality.
Defensive Grade: A-
Even though Adebayo should have been an All-Star, he still had a good year, if not better than last season. Mind you, he made the All-Defensive Team (2nd team) for the second consecutive year.
The next step for Adebayo is to face the rim more often and be more aggressive on offense. Bam has the ability to be a five star player if he is more consistent on offense.
This is going to be a big summer for Miami and especially for Adebayo. He has a lot of work to do.
Overall Grade: B+
Knowing him the way we think we do and with the improvement he’s shown thus far across his career, you can be sure it’ll get done. Let’s hope he comes back ready to take his looks.
That, alone, will go a long way.