Bam Adebyo is not just the heart and soul of the Miami Heat at the moment, but he is also the main ingredient to head coach Erik Spoelstra's "ace" up his sleeve on the defensive end of the floor. It's Bam's versatility and non-stop motor that allows Spo to unleash his trademark zone defense.
Zone defense in the NBA was originally banned from the 1940s up until the early 2000s. It's technically only been "legal" in the league for a little more than 20 years, but there isn't a head coach currently in the NBA who has utilized it better, especially in recent history, than Spoelstra and the Heat.
It played a big role in their two NBA Finals runs earlier this decade, and is unquestionably going to factor, one way or another, this season again for Miami. Make no mistake, the big reason why the Heat have been able to excel by embracing the zone defense is Bam. He's the key to the team's successful zone defense, which causes havoc, at times, for the opposing team's game plans.
Bam's immeasurable value on defense
Without Bam on the roster, I'm not sure if the Heat would have the luxury or ability to not only play zone defense, but also play it at such a high level.
Zone defense is rarely used in the NBA because coaches and players don't usually have a difficult time busting it. Whether that's with pinpoint passing and spacing, or elite 3-point shooting, most good teams aren't slowed down that much by a zone.
But the Heat, in large part because of the excellence of Bam, has a knack for finding the right way to throw teams off with this wrinkle from time to time. Even if it only works for a moment, the Heat have mastered how to successfully incorporate the zone into their defensive game plan, most times as a secret weapon.
Whether it's for a set or two per quarter, or for an entire frame or half, the Heat has been known as one of the few teams that has found measured success while playing zone on a semi-consistent basis in the Association.
But as NBA scribe Sam Vecenie points out, it's Bam's switchability and skill set to defend multiple positions (in different schemes) on the floor that help the Heat create headaches for opposing offenses. Spo uses so many different defensive looks to throw offenses off, and Bam is a huge part of that. Without him on the roster, it's hard to imagine the Heat would have the same luxury.
While it's fair to say that Spo has played a huge part in the development of Bam over the last few years of his career, it's almost equally fair to suggest that Bam has also played a key role in the success of Spo as a head coach over the last few years, too.