MIAMI – The Miami Heat beat the Los Angeles Lakers in what ended up being the third-largest margin of victory in franchise history by 41 points Wednesday night, 134-93. While Heat star Tyler Herro lit it up from deep, it was also a productive performance from Bam Adebayo, who has had a cold start to the season shooting the ball.
Going into the game, Adebayo had the second-lowest true shooting percentage, which also factors the value of three-point field attempts and free throws out of 91 players who had at least thrown up 200 shots. Looking at his general shooting percentage, it was at 41.9 percent from the field, which would be his lowest in his entire career, along with averaging a relatively low 15.6 points per game.
Against the Lakers, he would score 14 points on an efficient six-for-eight shooting from the field while also collecting 10 rebounds and recording seven assists. Adebayo had obtained his ninth career triple-double against the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 29 and had several other games recently where he was close to the rare mark.
Heat’s Tyler Herro says Bam Adebayo is a “top three center in the NBA”
The Heat captain in Adebayo looked as comfortable as ever on offense, capitalizing on high-percentage looks close to the basket and even his teammates setting him up for success like in the highlight reel dunk he had on Lakers’ Max Christie. Herro would speak after the game and talk about what he likes to see from the center and even say he’s a “top three center in the NBA.”
“Very beneficial. But, you know, I just liked how aggressive he was, how assertive he was,” Herro said. “You know, he’s a handful to deal with when he’s getting downhill in transition, and then when he collapses, the defense is able to make place. So just clearing his head, I think, and just getting all the noise out of his head, stop reading whatever the hell he’s reading, and just be Bam, like literally he’s a top three center in the NBA for a reason that he has to continue to just be that, be himself. Stop reading stuff.”
Heat’s Erik Spoelstra discusses Bam Adebayo and his process
Seen as a cornerstone of the Heat, Adebayo is one of the main offensive engines on the team, so it had been uncharacteristic to see the struggles from the big man. Head coach Erik Spoelstra said to ClutchPoints would speak about Adebayo’s preparation in getting out of a funk, expressing how it is different compared to “90 percent of the league.”
“I just love Bam’s purity, I love the fact that you know when you’re going through something like he’s going through right now, what he dives into is not what 90 percent of the league would dive into,” Spoelstra said. “90% of the league would dive into ‘I’ve got to get my stats, I gotta get myself going, it’s about me.’ Bam dives into the team. What can I do to help this team win? And he’s done that, so it’s what, four out of five games, he’s basically had triple-doubles, but really impacting winning, even in the losses. That’s what you kind of love about him. And his skill set is just all across the board, both ends of the court.”
Heat’s Bam Adebayo on getting out of a shooting slump
There is no doubt that even with the struggles, as said before, he has been playing winning basketball, whether it be play-making through his passing, crashing the glass with rebounds, or especially his elite defense. Focusing on the latter, he was a huge part of the off-night from Lakers star Anthony Davis, who only made three of his 14 shots from the field, finishing with eight points.
Adebayo would downplay any mental block that had been impacting his offensive performances, saying he doesn’t “overthink.”
The basketball just went in. I don’t really overthink it, it is what it is. You go out there, and I play as hard as possible. Shots don’t fall, I’m still impacting winning.
A turnaround for the star should have been coming sooner rather than later, as Adebayo spoke after the loss to the Boston Celtics last Monday and downplayed his recent woes.
“Everybody is not going to have a great game every game. It is what it is,” Adebayo said. “For me, it’s not losing confidence in who I am. It’s not overthinking the game too much because then you’ll start making other mistakes. It’s one of those things where I’m just missing shots. I don’t really look at it anymore than that. I feel like, at some point, the shots are going to turn around, and it’s up from there.”
At any rate, the Heat are hoping for a turning point as they sit currently at 10-10 on the season, with a tough back-to-back incoming starting Saturday against the Phoenix Suns and then Sunday facing the Cleveland Cavaliers.
