Miami, FL
Pat Riley, Miami Heat Waiting For Bam Adebayo To Reach A New Level
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo is no longer considered a young player.
He turns 27 next month. He is entering his eighth NBA season. He isn’t a kid any more, so the Heat are expecting even more this season.
“Bam has to look at his game and sit with coach, [and] how he can get better and expand his game,” Heat team president Pat Riley said. “He’s at a point right now, he’s an All-NBA player. We’re happy to have him.”
But …
They want to see a new and improved Adebayo. Last year he was named an All-Star for the third time. His scoring dipped a little (19.3 ppg) but he averaged a career-best 10.4 rebounds. He also played 71 games, helping the Heat make up for extended absences from Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler.
“In his growth spurt from his rookie to what he is right now has been off the chart,” Riley said. “Everybody in the league knows what his game is. They all know what he does for us, how important he is for us in a lot of areas.”
It is common for superstars to branch out later in their careers. Riley pointed out a similar transition with Hall of Famer Magic Johnson for the Los Angeles After losing to the Houston Rockets in 1986 conference finals, Johnson returned with a new wrinkle by averaging a career-high 23.9 points and leading them to another championship.
“He has to expand his game,” Riley said. “I remember in 1986, after we got beat by Houston, Magic came to me and said `we have to change some things. I have to change. I have to start shooting 3s.”‘
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Inside The Heat. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
Watch CBS News
An investigation is underway at a northwest Miami-Dade apartment complex after the sheriff’s office said a man was shot by his girlfriend after a “heated dispute” early Wednesday morning.
Few details have been released, but the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said the incident took place at an apartment complex located off Northwest 7th Avenue.
The sheriff’s office said that a man became involved in a “heated dispute” with his girlfriend, and she shot him in the right arm.
He was rushed to a hospital by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue in critical condition.
The woman is in custody.
The identities of those who were involved have not yet been released.
No other information was available.
Game date, time and location: Tuesday, Mar. 3, 7:30 p.m. EST, Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Sun, YES Network (Brooklyn)
Radio: 104.3 FM (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale), ESPN 106.3 FM, (West Palm Beach), FOX Sports Radio 105.9 FM (Ft. Myers/Naples), 1450 AM (Suart), 97.7 FM (Florida Keys), WAQI 710 AM (Spanish-language broadcast, South Florida), WFAN 101.9 FM/660 AM (Brooklyn)
VITALS: The Miami Heat (32-29) and Brooklyn Nets (15-45) meet for the second of three regular season matchups. Earlier this season, Miami recorded a, 106-95, win in Brooklyn on December 18 and has now won four of the last five overall against the Nets.
It also marks the first of consecutive games against Brooklyn with the teams facing each other again on Thursday. The Heat are 83-61 all-time versus the Nets during the regular season, including 44-26 in home games and 39-35 in road games.
PROJECTED STARTERS
HEAT
G Davion Mitchell
G Tyler Herro
C Bam Adebayo
F Pelle Larsson
F Andrew Wiggins
NETS
G Nolan Traore
G Terance Mann
C Nic Claxton
F Michael Porter Jr.
F Noah Clowney
INJURY REPORT
HEAT
Davion Mitchell: Questionable – Shoulder
Norman Powell: Out – Groin
Nikola Jovic: Out – Back
Trevor Keels: Available – G League
Jahmir Young: Available – G League
Vlad Goldin: Available – G League
Terry Rozier: Out – Not with team
NETS
Nic Claxton: Probable – Thumb
Egor Demin: Out – Foot
QUOTABLE
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra: “Regardless of the scheme is, I always go back to that, it’s just about committing to doing hard things. We were really moving in the zone, taking away airspace and scrambling to challenge shots at the rim. In a lot of these losses in the last month we’ve just been giving up shots at the rim and threes.”
For more Miami Heat information and conversation, check out Off The Floor.
Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket
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