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Bam Adebayo worked his way to a five-year contract extension last season when teammate Jimmy Butler hailed him as the “heart and soul” of the Miami Heat.
The 23-year-old was a runner-up for the Most Improved Player award and was inducted into the All-Star Game for the first time in his career as he played a starring role in the Heat’s journey to the playoffs and the NBA Finals. .
His break-up year has deserved greater responsibility in 2021, with the 2017 first-round pick among those expected to compete for Defensive Player of the Year honors.
In December, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra challenged the Kentucky product to participate in the discussion for the award in the near future.
Discussing the candidates for individual accolades this season on Sky Sports’ Heatcheck, Mo Mooncey tipped Adebayo to beat players like Anthony Davies and Rudy Gobert.
“I’m saying Bam Adebayo, I also think it’s Anthony Davis, but I feel like Anthony Davis won’t play enough games,” he said.
“With his injury history and also the lack of rest, I know that Bam has had a lack of rest, but he has not had all the injuries that Anthony Davies has had throughout his career, so I feel that the Lakers are going to be more conservative with the minutes they give Anthony Davies and the number of games he plays as the season progresses.
“Whereas Bam is still younger than AD and has that fiery energy. They will need Jimmy to rest, so Bam will have to carry a lot more.”
NBA Live: Boston @ Miami 06.01
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Highlights of the Miami Heat against the Dallas Mavericks in NBA Week 2.
Adebayo averaged 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, the highest of his career, in the regular season, before registering 17.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in the playoffs.
He is averaging 19 points, eight rebounds and 4.3 assists in five games so far this season, with the Heat entering Wednesday’s game with the Boston Celtics 3-3 on the back of a huge win over the Oklahoma City Thunder after from a 10-point loss. to the Dallas Mavericks.
In addition to improving his prowess on the defensive side of the ball, Adebayo has also set out to complement that with improved production as a focal point on offense.
The signs of doing so were evident on New Year’s Eve when he scored 22 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists in a 119-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
“Also as a team, that Miami defense and the way that Erik Spoelstra has made them work is absolutely phenomenal and I feel like a lot of people are sleeping on how good they were defensively last year and that playoff run really put them in the center. of attention, “Mooncey added.
“So now that Bam has that little bit of attention, he can come out and really show why he’s one of the best defenders in the league.”
The Heat not only invested heavily in Adebayo’s services this offseason, but they also tied up Goran Dragic and looked to add defensive support in former New York Knick Maurice Harkless following the loss of Jae Crowder to the Phoenix Suns.
Watch Bam and the Miami Heat host the Boston Celtics live at Sky Sports Arena starting at midnight in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Want to see even more of the NBA and WNBA but don’t have Sky Sports? Get the Sky Sports Action and Arena package, click here
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