There are myriad factors driving the Miami Heat's early success on the offensive end this season. The discount deal for Norman Powell clearly helped. So, too, did Jaime Jaquez Jr., playing his way back into building block status. As per usual, masterclass coaching from Erik Spoelstra is also playing a pivotal part in all of this.
Another reason the new offense is working so well is the granting of a wish long held by the Heat faithful: three-time All-Star center Bam Adebayo is a legitimate net-shredder now. The same player who almost never looked at the basket from the perimeter before last season is suddenly taking more than seven long-range looks per game and converting them at a 36.1 percent clip.
Adebayo's evolution is a shooter changes everything for Miami's offense.
Adebayo was already an established star when coach Erik Spoelstra opted to implement a brand new (kind of copied) offense this offseason. It would've been hard to blame the big man for any kind of push back, particularly since this approach has impacted him as much as anyone.
Three-pointers are accounting for a whopping 40 percent of his overall field-goal attempts, per Basketball-Reference. Last season, his three-point rate was a then-career-high 19.9 percent. For his career, he's at 5.6 percent. His average shot this season has come from 14.2 feet away from the basket.
It's an almost entirely different way of playing offense — for an in-prime player who had already ascended to stardom. This transition should be bumpy, but Adebayo's comfort and confidence with his outside shot is ensuring this is a smooth (and perhaps sustainable) ride for Miami.
"He clearly feels quite confident shooting threes now, and I think it is a big thing for Miami's offense," The Athletic's Sam Vecenie said on the Game Theory podcast. "It is a significant help for their spacing. ... They can now run, essentially, I don't want to say fully five-out, but you can run like five-out, four-around-one, get really creative action-wise.
Very little about this feels fluky. Surprising, sure. Probably even a bit fortunate. But everything the Heat are getting out of this group feels like stuff they should be able to carry forward.
Even Adebayo's perimeter expansion had some foreshadowing before this season. He always showed pretty good touch at the foul line, and that's usually the first part of expanding range. He also quietly added a three-ball to his nightly arsenal last season, averaging nearly three attempts per game and connecting on 35.7 percent.
“Bam is growing his game every single year, and that’s another aspect that’s been happening now for a year and a half," Spoelstra told reporters. "And that will help us. It's helping our attacks and ability to get into the paint for other guys. When you can kick out to him, it also gives him an opportunity to put the ball on the floor versus close-outs."
This offensive system requires, more than anything, sacrifice from the stars to help elevate the supporting cast. It's a true strength-in-numbers kind of style, and Adebayo's willingness to play his part and ability to execute his role are huge reasons why this is working.