Inside The Heat

Bam Adebayo Showcases Improved Area Of Game In Team USA Victory Against Australia

Shandel Richardson

May 1, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) looks on from the bench during the fourth quarter of their 118-84 loss to the Boston Celtics in game five of the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
May 1, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) looks on from the bench during the fourth quarter of their 118-84 loss to the Boston Celtics in game five of the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports / Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo no longer can use as an excuse for lack of development.

He is now 27 entering his eighth NBA season. The Heat want want him to reach a new level 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 in May. "He's at a point right now, he's an All-NBA player. We're happy to have him." 


But the Heat want to see more.

If Monday's performance for Team USA against Australia was any indication, the Heat should see an improved Adebayo. In the 98-92 victory, he impressed with his midrange game by scoring 10 points on 4 of 5 shooting in 17 minutes.

He stared off with an Hakeem Olajuwon-like move from the elbow in the first quarter.

Adebayo then hit a couple more 15-footers to show improvement. While many fans want him shooting 3-pointers, the midrange area is where he is most productive. It looked good in all of his attempts against Australia.




The performance was encouraging for Adebayo, who last year 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.





The Heat know there is plenty room for more growth.


"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." 

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Inside The Heat. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

Follow our coverage and updates on Facebook

X: @ShandelRich

Published |Modified
Shandel Richardson

SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here