The Miami Heat face off against the Denver Nuggets on Monday evening and this actually kicks off a tough five-game stretch for them. This is a stretch that sees them face the Nuggets, then both LA teams on Wednesday and Thursday, before having to face the Utah Jazz again a week from Saturday’s victory over that same club in Miami.
Not to be outdone and a classic trap game, they close it all with a matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder in OKC on Next Monday. If you don’t think it’ll trap you, ask the Lakers, twice.
With Denver being the next one up though, the attention remains there. Anytime that is the case for any team though, the thoughts are immediately to turn to one guy and that’s star-center, Nikola Jokic.
A one-man offensive machine, ‘The Joker’ is capable of beating you with his passing or by getting it done with his own scoring. He isn’t overly athletic or explosive, but he’s as crafty and agile as a seven-footer gets.
Miami Heat: Aggressive Bam Adebayo A Weapon Against Bigs Like Nikola Jokic
With Michael Porter Jr. scheduled to sit out, with Jamal Murray still recovering from injury, and with Aaron Gordon still figuring out who he is, full-time, with this Denver club, most of the heavy lifting has fell on the shoulders of Jokic. But please, don’t be confused, he can carry the weight.
That’s the key thing here though. While playing tough defense and not allowing him as much desired space to operate, get his moves off, or be “crafty” will required by those guarding him, a lot of Bam Adebayo can be assumed, that isn’t the only thing and Bam is also key here.
Jokic will also have to guard Bam on the other end. With a more offensively aggressive and in-tune Bam before him though, he’ll really have to guard on Monday night.
That stands for him and every other center that faces the new and improved Bam offensive repertoire. Begging for this type of aggression for some time now, this was always that thing.
As said many times before and not just about Bam, but in most circumstances, it isn’t about makes or misses. You have to take your looks and most especially, when those looks are good looks.
Miami Heat: Making Them Work And Guard Away From Rim Is A Weapon
The good looks have to be taken, as they can only lead to good things and especially in Bam’s case because for as cliche as it sounds, he just plays the game the right way. He’ll take few bad shots, because he’s always in good position.
If he doesn’t sink the shot, there is a good chance that something good will come off of it because of how the defense had to or will then have to react afterwards. In an example, Rudy Gobert couldn’t just always politic at the rim on Saturday, as Bam had the middy jumper falling.
That’s how it’s done. That’s also something that will come into play with Nikola Jokic and other players tasked with guarding Bam, typically the bigs that are also tasked with protecting the rim.
That’s a theme. However, in some cases and like Denver’s, that’s the guy that they depend on to, not only, be their engine but come through in all the pinches right now.
Doing all that and a full dose of trying to defend Bam all over the floor will be enough to grind anyone down. Hopefully, it’s enough to keep ‘The Joker’ from being as effective as he could be.
Just enough to get the Miami Heat the win would be enough.