It has been an action-packed year for the Miami Heat’s star big man, Bam Adebayo. Since last season, he has become a three-time NBA All-Star, Olympic Gold Medalist, All-Defensive first-team member and Defensive Player of the Year finalist. Off the court, Adebayo recently received the keys to Miami-Dade following his Olympic run, along with earning recognition on NBA Twitter as the league’s top defender.
More importantly, the Heat have locked up their franchise cornerstone with a $166 million maximum contract extension through the 2028-29 season. Considering Adebayo is still only 27 years old, it is very safe to say the best from him is still yet to come. And it looks like Bleacher Report agrees, as they pinned him as being Miami’s top player in 2027.
It's not a surprise that Bam Adebayo is expected to be the Miami Heat's best player in three years.
From Bleacher Report:
"For the last five years, Bam Adebayo has been one of the NBA's most underrated playmakers and a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
"And he's only 27 years old. Three years from now, he'll be right in the heart of his prime, and it's starting to feel increasingly likely that Jimmy Butler might not even be around beyond 2024-25 (he's a free agent next summer)."
To be clear, this was an article based on who will be each NBA team’s best player at that point. It was not to dismiss that Adebayo could already be the Heat's best player, or could become that sooner than 2027.
It is reasonable to assume that although Butler is still the franchise superstar right now, three years from now, Butler will be 38, while Adebayo will be at the peak of his prime at 30.
The impact that Adebayo brings goes way beyond the box score. His ability to guard every position from 1 to 5 at an elite level makes him one of the most versatile players in the association. After implementing a 3-point shot to his arsenal at the end of last year’s campaign, Adebayo could quickly reach a point where there is nothing he can’t do on either side of the floor.
His offensive game has expanded more each year he has been playing. As someone who came into the league with a lot of raw potential, Adebayo has a nice balance in his skill set with his ability to finish at the rim, play in the post, and hit the mid-range jump shot. A 3-pointer can help elevate him into the best big man in the NBA because of what he brings to the table defensively.
He shot a career-high of nearly 36% in that department a year ago, and continued to show improvements of his floor spreading in the Olympics this summer.
Coach Erik Spoelstra trusts Adebayo to run both offense and defense through him. He is the heart, soul and captain of everything the Heat are trying to do, and he is far from done yet.