The Miami Heat need to get better. They can do it internally or with the addition of other pieces, but the more dependable and most immediate way should be from the inside.
That means that another big offseason should be in store for Bam Adebayo entering year six. That happened quickly, didn’t it?
It feels like just yesterday that Miami drafted Adebayo.
Now, it should be a well-known fact about what most people would want Adebayo to work on this offseason.
Whether it’s expanding his range to the three-point line or simply, being more aggressive, it’s all in play. However, it’s hard to say whether one can work on being aggressive or not.
It has to be a part of the person’s nature. Adebayo shows signs of being aggressive but not consistently enough.
So, with all that being said, what should be his focus this summer? His handle.
Miami Heat: One Key Improvement For Bam Adebayo Next Season
It was probably not the answer that most people were expecting. Developing his post-game should be the priority and you can add one more, here, to that camp as well but with his play style, a better handle should help immediately improve his ability to attack the basket and his face-up game.
Adebayo has a really good handle at his size. The issue is not his handle, specifically but frankly, a better handle should only improve his ability to do everything else.
Seeing more of a “one-man” fast break from Adebayo would really improve his offensive output. With the sheer amount of time that Adebayo has the ball in his hands, it can only help his offensive game.
Adebayo has a face-up game that’s still a work in progress. Continuing to improve that via the improvement of his handle could only serve to add a bunch of moves to get easy baskets.
Miami Heat: Improving His Skills Could Lead To Increased Aggression
With Miami’s offense being up and down throughout the year, having another guy to go along with Jimmy Butler who can get his own bucket should only help as well. He likes to get his teammates involved with the dribble hand-off action, as everyone can see.
With an improved handle, that presents the opportunity to see more fakes off of that action, giving the defense a lot more to think about when attempting to counter those scenarios. The two-man games that they currently find themselves in can get too predictable at times.
For clarity and finality, his handle is good but he has the potential for it to be great. He needs to be like Giannis Antetokounmpo in the open court if you really want to look for a goal.
In the half-court, Adebayo gets pressured a lot with the ball in his hands, but he is quicker than ninety percent of the opposing centers in the league, if not a higher percentage.
Improving that aspect of his game can only make life easier for him. That’s why that should be his key offseason focus.