In low post, Adebayo enjoys the give as much as the take
Hardworking man in middle has 31 assists in first 6 games
DENVER — You start here: Through six games this season, Bam Adebayo has 31 assists. Over all of last season, Hassan Whiteside had 46.
So, yes, the Miami Heat’s offense looks different.
This time, the middleman actually is a middleman when it comes to facilitating.
It is among the reasons Erik Spoelstra moved Adebayo into his starting lineup last season and Pat Riley then moved Whiteside on to the Portland Trail Blazers in the offseason.
“We’ve started using him more in situations where we would use KO or CB in years past,” Spoelstra said of previous Heat post facilitators Kelly Olynyk and Chris Bosh. “And as he started to become more proficient with his decision-making there, and helping create easier baskets for other people, then he earned more and more trust to be able to have the ball in those situations. “And he works at it. He’s diligent about trying to improve that. I like where it’s
going.”
Among NBA post players, Adebayo stands second in the league in assists behind only Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who stands as the opposition Tuesday night at the Pepsi Center at the start of the Heat’s threegame western swing.
“He was starting to do this last year,” Spoelstra said of the 6-foot-9 big man. “Now, he’s taking the next step.”
To the 2017 No. 14 pick out of Kentucky, it is in many ways a hybrid assignment.
He compares it to a quarterback having to read the defense and a pitcher having to hit his spots, a bit higher to a center such as Olynyk, a bit lower to a guard such as Kendrick Nunn.
“It’s kind of like a strike zone in baseball,” Adebayo said. “You’ve just got to hit in the middle with a fastball. Some people are taller than others, so you’ve got to adjust it a little. It’s different throwing it to K-Nunn than throwing it to KO.
“And you also find yourself going through your progressions.”
That Adebayo is being cast as pivot passer is part of the evolution of the roster.
“When I first got here, that’s what I was doing, what he’s doing,” said Olynyk, who now is spotting up more often as the recipient of such passes. “He’s doing a good job. I kind of envisioned him as the guy you run through, with triggers and stuff.”
Heady enough to make the right plays.
“It’s definitely a big responsibility,” Olynyk said. “You’ve got to make reads, the right reads, different plays, when to hand it off, when to move it. It’s kind of like quarterback progressions.
“He’s getting better at it every single day.”
That not only has Spoelstra working in more calls to play to Adebayo’s passing, but also has teammates looking to feed their helping hand.
“You try to encourage your perimeter players to throw the ball to him,” Spoelstra said. “He’s not just looking to score. He’s looking to facilitate, to help the perimeter guys.
“If I’m one of them, I want to throw the ball to him. Good things will happen, and you’ll have a chance to get an easy basket.”
Adebayo said Bosh has been particularly helpful.
“I’m just soaking in information,” he said. “I talk to CB a lot. CB’s giving me pointers, on how I can improve.
“I feel like I’m a great passer. I’m willing to get my teammates involved, because if I get them involved, then everybody’s involved. That’s how you get a rhythm in the game.”