After his first-ever Gold Medal with Team USA in 2021, Bam Adebayo will embark on his second career Olympic games with USA Basketball this summer.
This time, the team will be featuring a lot more star power, including LeBron James–who’s playing in his first Olympics since 2012–Stephen Curry (first career Olympics) and Kevin Durant, who’s currently sidelined with an injury, among others.
Though when asked who were two teammates he was looking forward to playing with the most, Adebayo shouted out both Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid … and not for the reason you might think.
“I’ll go with [Joel Embiid] and [Anthony Davis] because I’ve never been put in the 4-man position,” Adebayo said in a viral social media clip.
Nobody wants to play the 4 more than Bam Adebayo.#HEATCulture pic.twitter.com/ZKKLJB9AE6
— Matt Hanifan (@mph_824_) July 11, 2024
If we’re being technical, I’d argue that he played the 4 alongside Meyers Leonard from 2019-21; you could maybe argue the same alongside Kelly Olynyk and Kevin Love, but to a lesser extent. For whatever it’s worth, he also played 23 total minutes next to Dewayne Dedmon (6.03 NET!) and 18 minutes next to Omer Yurtseven (minus-39.4 NET …. lol!) during their tenures.
According to Basketball Reference’s position tracker, he’s played 82 percent of his minutes at center over the last five years and 86 percent for his career. That’s not always accurate, but it’s a close enough representation of what’s actually happening.
The point is that’s a lot of wear and tear for a 6-foot-9 center with as much responsibility as he has as a screener, rebounder (boxing out), secondary initiator and multi-positional defender as the literal backbone. There are very few players that carry as much responsibility as him. He’s been vehement about wanting to play alongside a bigger body, and so has Udonis Haslem!
Stephen A tells UD the Miami Heat need a big man
“I agree, and Bam agrees as well. Bam knows the C role is one he can play, but there’s another role he can play as PF and be his best version.” (Via Stephen A. Smith show)
Pat got some work to do. 💯 pic.twitter.com/G9t13ldFO3
— Hot Hot Hoops (@hothothoops) June 21, 2024
Perhaps that’s a big reason why the Heat invested in Kel’el Ware No. 15 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, even though they found a reliable short-term starting power forward next to him last year in 6-foot-10 wing Nikola Jovic. Ware has all the tools, and I’m sure they drafted him to not be a backup 5 permanently, even though that’s likely where he ends up (barring something unforeseen).
We will have to see. It can only function well if Adebayo, who’s only attempted two percent of his career shots from distance–including 4.1 percent of them last year, albeit at a 35.7 percent clip (15-42)–functions as a spacer. He’s got one of the best 3-point shooting forms on the team, but he’s never been asked to expand that part of his game.
As we encompass the age of five-out basketball where 3s and functional size in the frontcourt are at a premium, perhaps we see that adaptation for a team that’s made its living in the small-ball realm.
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so the season of Bam at C is ending? small ball might be gone…soon? we’ll see. ware has years still to develop into competitive pro ball hopefully not gonna take too long.
If your a baller u can play immediately.These guys been ballin since youngens.Throw him in there as c1 with bam pf.Running back pf again as c1 with a lesser jimmy aint gonna cut it.Take a chance on him spo at 5 and put bam at the 4.Im tired of being the shortest and slowest team in nba damit
I get how you feeling, but last season we wasn’t the shortest team, you can’t forget jovic at 6’10. I’m sure he’s gotten better, since last time we saw him playing. Ware will probably get a few starts due to injury, but you should know his 3pt shooting isn’t looking good so far, so spo ain’t gonna start him. Especially if bam’s 3pt shot is still a work in progress. Last season bam shot 42 attempts from downtown, so I want him to double that or go for 100 3PA.
jovic played 15-20 mins never in 4th non factor.
It is unrealistic for anyone to think Ware will be starting when the season begins. You’re right about Jovic. While he only played 20 minutes a game, his line of 8/4/2 with 40% 3p% is decent and that it is reasonable to think he’ll be even better this season. The guy just turned 21. Barring injury concerns, he will improve each of the next several seasons.
Also, in his last 10 games, Jovic averaged 11/5/2 in just 23 minutes. Give him 28 minutes or so, he’d probably give you 15/7.
Bam needs to start shooting 3-4 threes every game starting from next season.
That will help Kel’el get the starting 5 job much faster.
i had the same thought. If Bam wants to play the 4, he needs to start shooting 3’s
What its like to be a super star he must be thinking.
Heat needs to ease up a bit on Bam. As tough as it was playing the center position, he logged the most minutes last season by a Heat player, I believe.
Hes getting paid more than 150 million,We expect more we need it,He needs to up his game