Adebayo shows a feel for shooting
ORLANDO — Summer League games give teams a chance to experiment. A chance to give players opportunities that won’t be there once the regular season begins.
Just look at Heat firstround pick Bam Adebayo. The 19-year-old is averaging 15 shots in three Summer League games, which is double the 7.5 shots he averaged in his only season at Kentucky.
“As part of summer league, he’s obviously one of the feature guys,” said Heat assistant Chris Quinn, the team’s summer league coach. “His shooting, you can see it, it’s not broken. It’s something maybe he hasn’t been asked to do in the past. But we’re giving him the freedom to get the ball down low, to make plays for us. At the end of the day, we want him rebounding, we want him defending. Those will be the things we focus on the most.”
The results have been encouraging. The 6-foot-10 Adebayo, a power forward and center, is averaging 19.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. His best performance came Monday when he had 29 points on 8 of 14 from the field and 13 of 17 free throws, 11 rebounds and two blocks in an 86-83 loss to the Pacers.
“He was what we like to say 1 percent better,” Quinn said. “I thought he did a great job, a much better job of rolling to the basket. We were able to get him some easier looks that way and also get him to the foul line. They had some big, physical guys down there and he responded well to that.”
Adebayo’s impressive performance included two Eurostep moves in transition that resulted in a made layup and a foul that sent him to the line for two free throws. That type of athleticism is one reason the Heat selected Adebayo with the 14th pick in the draft.
“Well, it’s something we’ve worked on with him already,” Quinn said of Adebayo’s ability to finish in transition. “He has a skill set. He has an ability to do that. It can be a big asset if you have a big that can get a rebound, outlet and then bust up the court, get you in a different situation. The one time he got in isolation he Eurostepped. So it’s definitely something he’s been working on and will continue to work on.”
Adebayo has proven to be an above-average rebounder and defender in the summer league. He’s averaging 5.3 offensive rebounds. He showed his versatility on defense Sunday when matched up against Magic small-ball center Jonathan Isaac, who was the sixth overall draft pick.
This is important because taking 15 shots a game won’t be part of Adebayo’s role when the real games begin. He’ll be asked to rebound and be a strong, versatile defender off the bench.
“Athletically and energetically, he’s a beast for a 19-year-old,” Quinn said. “Obviously we’re going to ask even more from him. Can he get one more rebound? Can he get one more blocked shot? How many extra efforts can you make that impact winning? That’s what we’re going to need this season.”
It hasn’t taken long for Adebayo to show flashes of potential as a big man who can stretch the floor. In Adebayo’s summer debut Saturday vs. the Hornets, his mechanics looked smooth as he made a face-up post jumper, a baseline fadeaway jumper and an elbow jumper.
Adebayo said the Heat “were going to let me not be in a box. In Summer League I’m playing free. I’m having fun.”