Miami Heat: Ceiling for Bam Adebayo’s role in 2022-23 season
For Bam Adebayo this season is him becoming No Ceilings Bam.
Ceiling: All-NBA And Defensive Player Of The Year
This entails him solidifying himself as the NBA’s Defensive Player Of The Year while being an All-NBA player.
This may seem like a huge leap considering he didn’t even make the All-Star team last year (injuries played a factor), however, it’s justifiable when you consider the injuries from last year, the fact that he’s been an All-Star before, and recent occurrences suggesting he may finally get it.
There truly is no reason that Bam shouldn’t be a 24-point-per-game scorer or so in the league. He averaged 19 points last year on only 13 shots a game while also averaging nearly six free throws a game.
He shot 57 percent from the field, so really, if he were to take nearly four to five more shots, there’s an obvious opportunity for the numbers to increase. Being more aggressive with his shot attempts could also lead to more free throws.
The best scorers in the game, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and Luka Doncic, all almost took double-digit free throws and take anywhere from four to five more shots than Adebayo.
Bam showed what he can do on his own in the Game 3 win against Boston, as he delivered a masterful performance in putting the team on his back. He’s shown that he is more than capable, but it’s all about putting it together.
The midrange is there but at this point, it’s about getting to his spots. Whether that be the elbow jumper, post-ups on the right block, or even getting the ball in isolation, he has to find a way to find his areas.
Whatever he wants to do on offense, he needs to figure out when and how to get to these spots on the court, while also demanding the ball. Jimmy Butler has no problem deferring as long as you’re confident and trying to help the team win.
Butler needs help and Adebayo becoming that second, perhaps even the first option, immediately boosts Miami’s title odds. As far as defense goes, he should’ve been the NBA DPOY two years in a row and this will finally be the year where he gets it.
Bam himself believes it as well, recently saying he should “have won it the last two years”, before then vowing to win it this season. That award has been an ongoing goal for Adebayo and if there was ever a time for him to take that next step in solidifying himself as an elite two-way player, it’s this year.
Right now and with the lack of depth at the power forward position, Bam will probably be asked to do more. And with the pride he places in his defense, we could see a jump in steals and blocks as he looks to create more havoc on that side of the ball.
If Bam can increase the scoring to nearly 25 points per game to go along with his steady elite defense and all while staying healthy, that could very easily earn him an All-NBA Third-Team selection and put the NBA DPOY trophy in the case as well.