Bam Adebayo knows what to expect from Bulls defense. Also, more Heat rotation changes ahead?
Miami Heat All-Star center Bam Adebayo may again find himself in more of a facilitating role than a scoring one in Friday’s win-or-go home game against the Chicago Bulls, and he’s prepared for that.
With the Bulls known for sending multiple defenders into the paint at the expense of giving up the second-most three-point attempts (37.1 per game) in the NBA this regular season, Adebayo is ready to find the open shooter when he catches the pocket pass on rolls to the basket.
“Hopefully I can have a triple-double because by that time, everybody will be making shots,” Adebayo said following Thursday’s practice ahead of the Heat’s high-stakes matchup against the Bulls on Friday at Kaseya Center (7 p.m., TNT). “So quick passes will get them out of it. I hope Max [Strus] and them have 30.”
This is different from the message Adebayo delivered following his quiet 12-point performance in Tuesday’s play-in loss to the Atlanta Hawks, when he said “we just got to figure out a way to get me the ball” after attempting just 12 field goals and four free throws in the defeat. Adebayo closed with four assists in that game, as the Hawks crowded him with multiple defenders whenever he got the ball in or near the paint.
“Some of the guys had it going,” Adebayo continued on Tuesday. “But we have to figure out how we can keep them going and also get me the ball.”
On Friday, the Heat will try to get Adebayo the ball but he just may be passing it more than shooting it because of the protect-the-paint coverage the Bulls have used on their way to posting the NBA’s top defensive rating after the All-Star break.
“It will be really important,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said when asked how important Adebayo’s playmaking will be against the Bulls. “All of it. We want to maximize his entire skill set. It will be the pick and rolls, it will be throwing the ball to him in different areas where he can loosen up the defense.
“But they are really good at protecting the paint, protecting the rim. That means you have to execute with precision because we can’t just concede that. We’re an aggressive team. But his playmaking to keep them honest and read the defense, yes, that will be one of the keys.”
Adebayo, 25, has needed to play the role of facilitator more often recently because more teams have begun crowding him in the paint.
Adebayo entered the mid-February All-Star break averaging 21.6 points and 15.7 field-goal attempts per game while shooting 54.4 percent from the field in 54 games on his way to being selected for his second NBA All-Star Game. He also averaged the sixth-most paint points (15.5 per game) in the league prior to the break.
In 21 regular-season games after the break, Adebayo averaged 17.3 points and 12.7 field-goal attempts per game while shooting 53 percent from the field. He also averaged 12.5 paint points per game during that stretch.
“They pack the paint,” Adebayo said of the Bulls. “They’re always going to do that, bring that extra third defender on screens. So the biggest thing for us is just make our open shots.”
ROTATION IN FLUX
The Heat has used 26 different starting lineups this season and a bunch of different bench combinations.
When asked if he would consider more rotation changes for Friday’s game, Spoelstra hinted that some could be coming with the Heat one win away from clinching a playoff spot but one loss away from being eliminated.
“Everything is on board,” Spoelstra said Thursday. “Every one of these things, that’s how I’m viewing it. This is going to have a different feel than Atlanta, for sure. I wouldn’t even just say with the starters, but who we bring in off the bench might be a little bit different than what we did against Atlanta.”
The obvious change would be inserting forward Caleb Martin back into the starting lineup and moving forward Max Strus back to a bench role. Martin started in his first 49 appearances of the season before moving to a reserve role after the mid-season addition of forward Kevin Love.
Since then, Strus replaced Love in the starting lineup in the final days of the regular season. Bringing Martin back into the starting lineup would give the Heat an extra quality perimeter defender to go up against the Bulls’ high-scoring duo of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.
Another potential change could be moving guard Kyle Lowry back into the starting lineup in place of guard Gabe Vincent. Lowry started in his first 44 appearances of the season but has played off the bench since returning from a left knee injury in March.
The Lowry-Tyler Herro-Jimmy Butler-Martin-Adebayo lineup outscored opponents by 4.1 points per 100 possessions in 302 minutes together in the regular season.
INJURY REPORT
The Heat only ruled out Nikola Jovic (back spasms) for Friday’s game. Vincent (right hip pointer) and Lowry (left knee soreness) are listed as questionable.
Vincent did not take part in Thursday’s practice after taking a knee to his back in Tuesday’s loss to the Hawks, but said he hopes to play Friday. Lowry is also expected to play against the Bulls.
Butler did not attend Thursday’s practice because of personal reasons, but he’s not on the injury report. Butler is expected to play on Friday.
The only player on the Bulls’ injury report is guard Lonzo Ball, who remains out after left knee surgery.
