The Miami Heat are coasting along. Though they’ve led the Eastern Conference, outright, at several different points already this season, they currently find themselves locked into a tie right now for the lead in the Conference.
After dropping a game to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday and with the recent heroics of DeMar DeRozan for his Chicago Bull continuing, that’s how they got back into a jousting match for the top slot.
Even with all of that though, the Miami Heat coming back towards the Bulls in a very tight race that should go up until the very end, the Miami Heat are still in a great place.
That’s, not only, because they are having one of their healthiest stretches when it comes to their top-end guys, save for a Tyler Herro knee contusion at the moment, but because one of their best guys is finally starting to come into his aggressive own.
Yes, in case you haven’t figured it out yet (or the headline isn’t a dead giveaway), this is about Bam Adebayo and his newfound aggression. Since the Miami Heat’s demolition in Boston a few weeks ago or so, Bam Adebayo has been a new man.
Miami Heat: Bam Adebayo Has That ‘Thing’ To Be A First Option NBA Superstar
Averaging 22.8 points, 11 rebounds, and 2.8 assists (below par for him, but great for his own aggression in some aspects) on nearly 60 percent shooting from the field and on just over 16 attempts per game, Bam Adebayo has become something and someone else for his Miami Heat.
This isn’t a complaint though, as that’s who they need him to be all the time and who he needs to be in order for both entities to reach their full individual and collective potentials. This isn’t a coinkydink though, as he made note of it himself after the Boston Massacre.
Per basketball writer, Wes Goldberg, here’s what happened after one of their most terrible defeats in recent memory.
"It was the last night of January and the Heat had gotten rolled by the Celtics by 30 points. Sure, they were without Jimmy Butler (ankle) and Kyle Lowry (personal reasons), but Adebayo felt as though he had let his teammates down. “He didn’t take it well,” said assistant coach Malik Allen over the phone. “He took it personal.” The issue? Adebayo had attempted only 11 shots in his nearly 32 minutes, as many as two-way contract player Caleb Martin. The team’s lone available star, Adebayo played more like a role player, and he knew it. And it gnawed at him. After all, over his five NBA seasons he’s been trying to work this lack of aggression out from his game."
This is what you’ve always wanted from Bam Adebayo.
That goes, not only, for his showing on the floor but this mentality described above. Not that you ever thought it didn’t, being the uber competitor and ultimate try hard in a good way that he is, but it never reflected in his own aggression or good selfishness on the court.
Miami Heat: Bam Adebayo Has, Seemingly, Figured Out That It’s Pretty Simple
This is what you’ve always asked for from Bam Adebayo. Prior to the season beginning, the notion here was that he needed to average, at least, 15 field goal attempts per contest.
It’s not about the makes or misses for Bam Adebayo though, it’s about getting up the looks and it always has been. He works hard, he plays both sides of the ball, he’s uber-athletic, he can, and always wants to make the right play.
If he just takes the looks, good things are bound to happen. It not only makes defenses react to him differently, but it allows his teammates to use his aggression to help themselves get to their own stuff, which ultimately helps the team.
Here is another excerpt from Goldberg’s piece and a well-publicized thought from the Miami Heat’s team president, Pat Riley, from before the season. The NBA’s Godfather had pointed words on his star big man.
The quote closes with another pointed thought from the subject of the piece.
"This is what team president Pat Riley anticipated from Adebayo before the season when he said, “I think you might just see a flat-out scorer this year… It isn’t getting permission from your head coach, it’s having the offense evolve where it gives you permission to play.” For many reasons, it took nearly three-quarters of the season for Adebayo and his teammates to get to this point but something, perhaps during the flight from Boston to Toronto, has clicked. Adebayo is less passive — less patient even — and quick to go to his bag. “Just being aggressive,” Adebayo explained after scoring 21 points against the Wizards last week. “Not too much to overthink.”"
It’s really as simple as that for Bam, well, simple as those things. Pat Riley spoke of not “getting permission” but having something “evolve”.
He used the word “offense” here to speak to Bam and to say this. “You don’t need permission or anyone to allow you to do anything, you are capable of anything on the floor, you just have to go do it.”
Ironically and funny enough, this is a similar notion that Bam echoed in his part of the above quote. It’s really as simple as that for him.
For a guy as talented, skilled, big, and athletic as he is, it’s about “just being aggressive”. That’s that thing that all NBA superstars and first option types have, regardless of the scenario.
While they can do other things, such as get their teammates involved like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, or Jimmy Butler even, they also can flip the switch and make it all about them—which is to become selfish in the best way for the betterment of the team.
Bam seems to be in the midst of figuring that out and you know what? You just absolutely love to see it.
Most importantly of all though—THIS Bam Adebayo makes them an absolute title contender.