Miami Heat: Why the Tokyo Olympics will benefit Miami the most
By Noah Decker
Other reasons why Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo benefited from the Olympics
NBA players weren’t the only NBA greats Adebayo is interacting with during the Olympic Games. Team USA is coached by the legendary Gregg Popovich.
He coached the San Antonio Spurs to five NBA championships in 25 years as their coach. Adebayo can certainly learn something from Coach Pop, especially considering he coached one of the NBA’s greatest bigs in Tim Duncan.
Being coached by Gregg Popovich and the rest of the USA coaching staff will give Bam some different perspectives he has not experienced before. Adebayo seems to have impressed Popovich because he had this to say about the Miami Heat center:
"“He’s active, he’s a rebounder, he runs. He knows how to play with teammates. … He’s going to be very valuable to us and obviously our best rebounder.”"
Coach Pop was certainly correct about the value Adebayo would bring to the team. Adebayo was a defensive anchor for the United States, providing critical blocks and rebounding throughout the tournament.
In the gold medal game, he was challenged with guarding France’s Rudy Gobert. Team USA’s defense looked tremendously better when Adebayo was on the floor.
Lastly, Bam Adebayo’s interaction with other NBA players could help with recruitment. Portland Trailblazers superstar Damian Lillard recently revealed that he would be very excited about playing with a big man like Bam Adebayo.
Dame’s name has been linked to trade rumors lately. If he requests a trade, Miami’s front office will be on the phone immediately to try to work out a deal for him.
Adding Damian Lillard to the Miami Heat would give them a true superstar and form one of the most unstoppable teams in the league.
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Playing in the Olympic Games was an incredible experience for Bam Adebayo and his teammates to have. Now, it is time to take the lessons they learned in Tokyo and work towards their goal in the NBA, which is to win a championship as a part of the Miami Heat.