Heat’s Udonis Haslem explains the biggest misconception about Bam Adebayo’s offensive game

The Miami Warmth doesn’t consider heart Bam Adebayo based mostly on shot makes an attempt and factors. Teammates and coaches respect Adebayo for all the things else he offers on the court docket.

So when the surface dialog relating to Adebayo’s offensive aggression finds its method into the locker room, these inside the group disregard it.

“I don’t listen. They don’t know what the hell they’re speaking about,” Warmth veteran and staff captain Udonis Haslem stated to the Miami Herald forward of Recreation 7 of the Jap Convention Finals on Sunday evening. “95 % of individuals don’t know what they’re speaking about with regards to being aggressive. He can’t simply go on the market, put his head down and go ahead. He’s obtained to get different guys concerned. Bam’s coronary heart is in the correct place. He’s making an attempt to do the correct issues.”

In Friday’s Recreation 6 win over the Boston Celtics at TD Backyard, Adebayo completed with simply six factors on six pictures and dedicated 4 turnovers. That’s not the kind of manufacturing many have come to count on from a participant on a max contract like Adebayo.

But it surely was Adebayo’s rebounding, screening, dribble handoffs and rolls to the basket to maintain the Warmth’s offense flowing that teammates and coaches observed greater than his factors and shot makes an attempt.

Adebayo, who can be thought-about one of many NBA’s greatest defenders, closed Friday’s win with a game-high three display assists (a display for a teammate that immediately results in a made subject purpose by that teammate), the third-most potential assists on the staff (any cross to a teammate who shoots inside one dribble of receiving the ball) with 4 and a team-high three offensive rebounds.

Adebayo, 24, entered Sunday averaging the fourth-most display assists within the NBA this postseason with 3.6 per recreation behind solely Phoenix’s Deandre Ayton (5.4 per recreation), Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic (4 per recreation) and Utah’s Rudy Gobert (3.8 per recreation). Adebayo’s screens have resulted in 8.4 factors per recreation for the Warmth on this yr’s playoffs.

“That he can’t rating. That’s not true,” Haslem stated of the largest false impression about Adebayo’s offensive recreation. “That’s not the case. We simply put quite a lot of accountability on Bam. Typically occasions once you obtained a man like Bam who’s creating so many triggers and offensive performs for individuals, he’s only a roll to the rim man. A number of guys that create triggers like Bam and get everyone concerned, their solely job is simply to roll to the rim on a regular basis. He’s additionally obtained to get everyone concerned and work out issues for himself.

“So one of many largest misconceptions is that he can’t rating. That’s not true all of it. It’s not that he can’t rating. He wears quite a lot of obligations. He’s obtained to get our shooters concerned, he’s obtained to get different guys concerned and he’s obtained to consider scoring. For him, he simply carries a much bigger burden than most guys at his place.”

However the actuality is Adebayo’s scoring and shot makes an attempt are down within the playoffs. He averaged a career-high 19.1 factors on 13 shot makes an attempt per recreation within the common season and entered Sunday’s Recreation 7 averaging 14.2 factors on 9.1 shot makes an attempt per recreation this postseason.

Adebayo stated he’s centered on “being extra assertive, selecting my spots within the stream of the sport” shifting ahead.

When requested the place Adebayo has grown most offensively this season, Haslem pointed to his “confidence” and “understanding the issues that he can do and the benefits that he has.”

“A number of the time once I watch movie with him, I simply attempt to level out the benefits, how completely different defenders are going to protect him and what benefits he has versus completely different guys,” Haslem stated. “Whether or not or not it’s energy, whether or not or not it’s athleticism, whether or not or not it’s quickness, whether or not or not it’s a again down, whether or not or not it’s a face-up. Pinpoint sure guys in pick-and-rolls the place you need to get that matchup, the place you need to get that change, slipping out of the pick-and-roll and making a set off. These are all the issues. Proper now with regards to Bam, it’s extra about chess. It’s not the bodily a part of it. It’s extra about enjoying chess on the market.”

There’s nonetheless loads of room for Adebayo to develop as an offensive participant. He has turn out to be a extra constant midrange shooter within the final two seasons, however his post-up recreation stays a piece in progress.

Then there’s the three-point shot that Adebayo has but to include into his offensive repertoire. He tried simply six three-pointers within the common season and didn’t make any, however the perception is that may turn out to be a extra constant a part of his talent set in coming seasons.

“It’ll come. It’ll include time,” Haslem stated of Adebayo’s outdoors shot. “Proper now, he’s proper the place he must be. Creating for us, getting down there within the paint and being a monster. However the outdoors shot and the jumpers, these issues will develop and can come.”

HERRO UPDATE

Following Sunday’s morning shootaround, Warmth coach Erik Spoelstra stated sixth man Tyler Herro stays questionable with a strained left groin.

Herro, who has been pushing to play, has missed the final three video games together with his groin damage.

“He’s nonetheless taking his time. It’s a delicate damage, so he’ll take his time,” Adebayo stated Sunday morning, hinting that Herro is probably not able to return in Recreation 7.

The Warmth additionally listed Kyle Lowry (left hamstring pressure), Max Strus (proper hamstring pressure), P.J. Tucker (left knee irritation) and Gabe Vincent (left hamstring pressure) as questionable for Recreation 7. However all 4 are anticipated to play on Sunday.

HEAT’S FINE

The NBA introduced Saturday that the Warmth group was fined $25,000 for violating league guidelines relating to staff bench decorum.

The NBA defined the effective in an announcement: “On a number of events, a number of gamers stood for an prolonged interval in Miami’s staff bench space, stood away from the staff bench, and have been on, encroaching upon or getting into the enjoying court docket throughout reside recreation motion” within the Warmth’s Recreation 6 win in TD Backyard on Friday.

“On the finish of the day, it simply reveals how a lot help your teammates have so that you can the purpose that we get fined,” Adebayo stated. “However that’s the need to win. Everyone on the sideline needs us to win and I obtained among the greatest teammates.”

This story was initially revealed Could 29, 2022 12:17 PM.