How Bam Adebayo evolved into one of the NBA’s elite centers

Bam Growing as a Scorer

While still being able to pressure the rim with devastating hard rolls to the basket, Bam’s midrange game has improved dramatically. During the 2022-23 season, 21.5% of Adebayo’s shots were pull-up jumpers, up from 3.9% as a rookie, per NBA.com

Some argue the mid-range pull-up is an inefficient shot. There’s some truth to this but it comes down to the player who’s taking the shots. Adebayo shot 47% on long mid-rangers this past season, according to Cleaning The Glass. That ranked in the 65th percentile among qualifying bigs. Not an elite number, but he can keep the defense honest when he gets rolling.

His ability to create shots for himself has progressed every year of his career. Compared to other bigs, he’s an elite ball-handler with a plethora of moves to get by bigger centers. Standing at 6-foot-9 he’s undersized but uses his quickness and wing-like agility to his advantage. His in-and-out dribble package is lethal. Using either hand, he is able to get defenders off balance.

Adebayo uses his deep bag to get to the short mid-range, where he’s comfortable taking floaters and hook shots. Those shots weren’t very efficient for him in the playoffs but his willingness to take these shots and shoot more shots in general is what his naysayers have asked for.

"Bam Adebayo’s Field Goal Attempts By Season 2017-18: 4.9 2018-19: 5.9 2019-20: 11.0 2020-21: 12.5 2021-22: 13.0 2022-23: 14.9"

As Adebayo’s role on the team has grown, his inconsistent aggressiveness on offense has come under scrutiny. Some of it is fair. There are times when Bam is too passive when his teammates are struggling to score. This came to a head in the 2022 Eastern Conference finals, when he averaged 15.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. As he often does, he eventually gave the people what they wanted, posting 25 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists in Miami’s Game 7 loss. Bam grew from that experience and, in the 2023 Finals, stepped up on the biggest stage.

During the 2023 NBA Finals, Adebayo averaged 21.8 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Those are eye-popping statistics that point to Adebayo’s mentality in that series. Adebayo took 99 shots – his career-high for any playoff series. He was aggressive, relentlessly hunting shots and attacking the basket. Those are plus signs. If he can keep that scorer’s mentality, there is no reason why he can’t be one of the most consistent offensive bigs in the league.