Heat’s Adebayo fixing ‘one of biggest downfalls in my career.’ Here’s how he’s doing it
Perhaps a younger, greener Bam Adebayo might have become reticent to shoot after missing 10 of 13 shots in the first half of a game.
But after posting that stat line in the first 24 minutes on Saturday against Charlotte, Adebayo didn’t turn timid. Instead, he became even more tenacious, that much more determined.
The fact Adebayo shook off that irritating first half and kept shooting - and contributing significantly - in a 104-86 win at Charlotte was, in his view, “definitely” a sign of “maturity.”
After missing several shots he normally makes - and dribbling the ball out of bounds twice - in that first half, Adebayo was a force in his nine third-quarter minutes, hitting four shots (in nine attempts), while securing four rebounds and two steals and playing his usual stout defense.
Miami outscored Charlotte, 35-8, in that quarter.
The ability to fight through adversity is an indication that he’s “growing as a player and as a guy that wants to be great in this league,” Adebayo said.
“That has been one of the biggest downfalls in my career, [where] I’ll stop shooting. It was one of those games where shots were short and looked like it going in and it doesn’t. I had a lot of in and outs. [But] teammates kept finding me.”
And Adebayo knew he couldn’t stop shooting.
“My teammates look for me to score,” he said. “They look for me to be aggressive. Me, Jimmy [Butler], and Tyler [Herro] are probably going to take most of the shots. That’s the importance of having Kyle [Lowry].”
When the night was done, Adebayo had tied his career high of 21 field goal attempts, even while sitting out the fourth quarter. He closed 7 of 21 from the field but had 12 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
In his three seasons as a starter (including playoffs), this was only the 14th time that Adebayo shot 33 percent or worse from the field in a game. But the Heat has managed to go 7-7 in those games.
Of those 14 games, he has attempted more than 12 shots only three times. There were occasions in the past, as he acknowledged on Saturday night, when he simply stopped being aggressive when he got off to poor starts offensively.
This Adebayo is different. He knows he’s at the fulcrum of many of the Heat’s offensive actions. And he knows he can’t go into a shell when shots aren’t dropping.
“Bam can impact the game in so many different ways,” Herro said. “We don’t even notice that he’s missing shots. The impact he had on the game is so much bigger than the 7 for 21.”
High shot totals by Adebayo don’t necessarily assure wins.
Miami is 5-5 when he takes 15 or more shots in a game this season.
The key on Saturday is that he remained an active participant despite the the offensive frustration; his 42.2 percent usage rate was the highest of his career.
▪ Adebayo often is at his best when the Heat has numbers on the break and he’s at the epicenter.
“At that point, I get to make decisions,” he said. “That’s when I feel like we get people moving. That’s when we get activated, when we get to swing the ball. We use almost the whole shot clock when we’re moving the ball like that.”
THIS AND THAT
Max Strus said the right quadriceps contusion injury that kept him sidelined Saturday will be “very short term. It’s something we’re dealing with.”
▪ Teams continue to try to get Herro and Duncan Robinson in isolations, and Herro said he likes the challenge.
“Teams are going to try to attack me and for me it’s just taking the challenge and being able to lock down and try to compete on both ends of the floor,” Herro said.
Entering this weekend, Herro this season has guarded 54 isolations that ended with a shot or turnover or foul, third most on the team behind Adebayo and Butler.
Herro has allowed 1.06 points per possession on those 54 plays, which is in the bottom 27 percent of the league. But there has been some defensive improvement.
“I’m a lot more aware of things before they happen,” Herro said. “I’m a lot more comfortable knowing the rotations and spots I need to be in. And a lot more physical and stronger.
“Those are the areas I’ve improved. I watch Jimmy, Kyle defensively. In the past, I’ve played with Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder. Those are guys I’ve studied.”
Overall, the player that Herro is guarding is shooting 44.4 percent - about what those players shoot overall. That’s an improvement over the 45.9 percent he permitted last season.
“It’s huge for me” to be considered a complete player, Herro said. “I want to be known as a basketball player, a guy that can play on both ends of the floor. I have to continue to get better and prove that.”
Robinson, meanwhile, has defended 53 isolations that have ended with a shot or turnover or free throw and has allowed 1.26 points per possession on those plays, which ranks in the bottom 7 percent of the league but better than Kevin Durant and Steph Curry.
The Heat’s defensive system - reliant on protecting the paint and offering help - is designed to mask the shortcomings of some of the Heat’s less skilled defenders.
This story was originally published February 6, 2022 at 10:41 AM.
