Bam Adebayo has to be able to scale midseason ‘wall’ for Miami Heat

The Miami Heat still have a chance to do something special.

Though some of their showings this season have you confused about what those special things may be and what their chances actually are on the biggest state, the Miami Heat still do employ a top-15 ever coach in Eric Spoelstra, their resident superstar in Jimmy Butler, and a slew of other guys that have proven to be able to perform with the lights on the brightest.

And among those guys is Bam Adebayo, though you might question some of what you’re hearing and seeing based on his showings since right before the All-Star break up until now. Hopping onto the scene as a preeminent offensive player to go along with the defensive excellence he has shown since entering the league, Bam Adebayo appeared, as though he was on the precipice of jumping to that next tier of player in the NBA.

However, since near the All-Star break, Adebayo has hit the proverbial wall. In sports, that wall is when a player is playing at a high level but at a certain traditional point in the season, one noted and known for just that kind of occurrence among players, they begin to take a step back or regress.

The Miami Heat will only go as far as Jimmy Butler can take them. But he’ll need a ton of help from Bam Adebayo, which is as key as Jimmy’s presence.

But more often than not and for the greatest players, they eventually scale that wall and re-elevate their level of play and production back to the heights that qualify them to be seen as taking a step back in their production in the first place.

So, right now, what we’re seeing is Bam Adebayo’s struggle with his wall. And while at first, it just showed itself apparent on the offensive side of the ball, it has begun to show itself in all facets of his game— including his defense and all-around effort.

And while he still has those showings that amaze you intermingled throughout a slew of underwhelming performances, you expect more from a guy that has shown you so much ability over the years, and especially in this season where he has finally taken his assertiveness to the net level.

While Jimmy Butler didn’t play against Toronto, Adebayo’s effort was noticeably less than you would expect from him. And that isn’t just something that showed up in this game.

But in order for the Miami Heat to ultimately accomplish everything that they have set out to accomplish, what they are capable of—if you will, Bam will, essentially and somehow, have to find a way to scale the “wall” he hit and there isn’t much time left to do it.