Miami Heat: Bam Adebayo Will Be An MVP Candidate This Season
By Isiah Curry
It’s a short list of Miami Heat players who’ve been awarded the honor of being the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. While LeBron James (2012 and 2013) was the lone star to achieve the regular season award, we shouldn’t neglect others in Heat-history who came close.
In 1999, Alonzo Mourning finished as the MVP runner-up to Karl Malone and ten years later, Dwyane Wade was placed third in voting behind James and Kobe Bryant. Last season, Miami Heat media had thrown Jimmy Butler’s name in the hat but an unsettling year for Miami only hindered his chances.
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Unsettling is the word and the last time we’ve seen Bam Adebayo on an NBA floor, he didn’t perform at the level of those names aforementioned. An embarrassing first-round sweep against the Milwaukee Bucks ignited scrutiny for the Heat and especially Bam, who showed a lack of assertiveness when it was needed most.
Whether one expected Adebayo to perform better in the playoffs is irrelevant. Despite his wavering confidence at times, Bam’s skillset and potential should never be questioned.
Already achieving the unimaginable in his career, it ranges from receiving All-Star honors in 2020 to dropping 32 points in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat should be elated to have a franchise centerpiece like him and one they can build around for several years.