Despite having already established himself as one of the main faces of the Miami Heat franchise, Bam Adebayo has consistently caught ire from fans and analysts alike for one main reason: his growth on the offensive end – or lack thereof.
The Heat’s primary big man has been marred by inconsistency in the postseason through his entire career, and game two of this year’s Eastern Conference quarterfinals proved to be no different. Miami suffered a 121-112 loss at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, as Adebayo finished with a line of 11 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo dribbles the ball in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Kaseya Center.Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
While his near triple-double may look good on its own, Adebayo also shot 3 of 9 from the field and 1 of 5 from three-point range, serving as somewhat of an offensive liability for the Heat in what proved to be a gut-wrenching loss.
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Miami’s success in the postseason in recent years has noticeably relied on whether or not its All-Star center can find a rhythm offensively. The Heat have won 56.1% of their playoff games where Adebayo scored at least 12 points. Moreover, they’ve only won 36.8% of the games where he finishes with 11 or less.
This also comes on the heels of a relatively disappointing regular season campaign that saw Adebayo shoot a career-low 48.5% from the field. While South Florida fans hoped (and expected) that their up-and-coming big man would make the transition from a star into a superstar following Jimmy Butler’s trade to Golden State, it appears that Adebayo still has a ways to go before earning that label – at least in terms of scoring, that is.
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