Miami Heat: Trying To Make Sense Of Bam Adebayo’s NBA Playoff Drop-Off
By Eric Fritts
The Miami Heat had a spectacular season, that much is undeniable. At one point, they were one of four teams still alive and one game away from the NBA finals, something most franchises haven’t even dreamed of in years.
But, overall, these playoffs did leave us with questions and particularly about Bam Adebayo. Bam has been one of the Miami Heat’s most important players over these last few seasons.
Offensively and defensively, this regular season we saw him flourish and really start to perform. Although his playmaking was a little down this year, for understandable reasons, he proved himself to be a vital part of the offense and improved his scoring specifically.
So the question is this. What happened to him in the playoffs?
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For two straight years now, we’ve seen his scoring dip when it comes to the postseason. His points production went from 18.7 to 15.5 points per game in 2021 and 19.1 down to 14.8 this year.
Granted, there is context to apply, as 2021 was a year right after the bubble, where teams were notably exhausted. That especially applies to the Miami Heat, who were coming off their NBA Finals run in the bubble.
There is also the brevity of it all. There were only four games in their playoffs last season, so the sample size isn’t the greatest.
Nonetheless, the playoffs are a time where people would naturally want to expand upon their abilities, but it seems like Bam’s got restricted. He wasn’t looking to score, his shooting was limited, and things just didn’t flow for him.
So, what’s going on? What can explain the drop-off, at least, for this year?