Bam Adebayo's "step back" this past season, especially on the offensive end of the floor, is something that will have to change drastically if the Miami Heat are going to have any shot of contending in 2025-26. In fact, I'd say that, assuming there isn't another surprise trade in the works, the Heat's season will be made or broken by Bam.
Despite the Jimmy Butler drama, Bam truly struggled last season. He averaged fewer points per game than in any of the previous four seasons and had the least efficient offensive year of his career. Defensively, Bam was still the anchor for the Heat, but there's no question his offense took a hit.
And if the Heat are going to surprisingly reemerge as an elite team in the Eastern Conference this season, that will have to change.
Bam must be more of a complete offensive player for the Heat
Sure, Bam has shown flashes on that end of the floor, specifically with his mid-range game or in dribble-handoff situations, but he's never truly put it all together offensively. That's the biggest part of his game that has held Bam back.
Of course, the difficultly is pinpointing exactly what that would look like.
However, there are a couple of key areas where Bam clearly needs to continue growing on the offensive end of the floor. The first begins with nothing that has to do with raw basketball skills. It's simply a mindset. And that's Bam's aggressiveness.
The Heat needs him to be more aggressive on the offensive end of the floor. In part, that also means trusting his talent.
Especially without a clear-cut No. 1 option on the offensive end of the floor, there are times when Bam is going to be their best chance of scoring efficiently. Too many times, especially this past season, Bam is too passive and hesitant with the ball in his hands.
The Heat need an aggressive Bam
If Bam is going to reach the next level in his offensive development, he needs to be more aggressive. The most frustrating part of Bam's lack of aggressiveness on the offensive end of the floor is the fact that he's generally an efficient scorer.
He just needs to be willing to shoot the ball. Sure, that may be an oversimplification, but there's no question that the coaching staff would appreciate a selfish Bam on the offensive end of the floor from time to time.
It's not like Bam is an inefficiently bad offensive player. He's not. For the majority of his career, he's been an efficient player. He needs to lean more into that at times.
Even after the acquisition of Norman Powell, the Heat continues to have some big questions on the offensive end of the floor. If Miami is going to bounce back from being a bottom-10 team on that end of the floor last season, they're going to need Bam to put it together on that end of the floor.
At least for Bam, it all starts with aggression and confidence.
If he can address those two big areas in his offensive game, there's not much holding him back from being a much more complete all-around star and, perhaps most importantly, helping the Heat get back to contender status.