NBA Scout Breaks Down Role Bam Adebayo Should Play For The Miami Heat

Anthony Pasciolla | Aug 16, 2024

Apr 24, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) celebrates with center Bam Adebayo (13) following a victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in game four of the 2023 NBA Playoffs at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is faced with the challenging decision of placing his offensive focus on either veteran star Jimmy Butler or All-Star Bam Adebayo.

Butler is entering the final year of his contract, meaning Adebayo is the safer option because of his long-term stability. The issue is Butler already led the Heat to multiple NBA Finals appearances at the helm of the offense.

An NBA scout spoke with Miami Heat On SI's Anthony Pasciolla about why Adebayo may not even want to take on the role.

"I think Bam would rather be a Swiss Army knife. I don't know if Bam wants to do that [be the No. 1 option]," said an NBA scout who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "I think he'd be happy with 18, 12, and 6 type of numbers. You can see it sometimes, it's not that he can't be the man, it's I don't need to be the man.

The scout also agreed with a statistical comparison to Houston Rockets' Alperen Sengun. The Rockets center finds production in each offensive facet but lacks the defensive prowess of Adebayo. If the three-time All-Star can improve his playmaking and outside shooting, he will fully embody the Swiss Army knife role mentioned by the scout.

"With Jimmy going into his contract year, he may do it. But Tyler's going to get his shots up, you've got another year with Jaime. I would wait and see if I need to take more pressure on [if I was him]," the scout concluded.

Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on X @AnthonyPasci.

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