Bam Adebayo recognized something had to change, that he needed something liberating, something to get his offensive potential closer to the bar he had so firmly established on the defensive end over his first five seasons.
So during the offseason, he headed upstairs from the Miami Heat locker room, to Erik Spoelstra’s office next to the practice court at Miami-Dade Arena.
“I had to talk to Spo,” Adebayo told the South Florida Sun Sentinel at his locker recently, before heading out as an Eastern Conference selection to Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City. “I told him, ‘I can’t can’t just run into 7-2 guys and expect to get a layup. I can’t do that all the time.’
“I was like, ‘Coach, I got to have a shot that I can go to.’ "
He has gone to it ever since, a feathery jumper from just inside the foul line that has become a fulcrum of the Heat’s offense, a shot demonized by the number crunchers as a low-percentage, low-yield 2-point shot in a 3-point league.
A shot that has him at the All-Star break second in the league only to Giannis Antetokounmpo in points in the paint.
Lacking the length and height of an Antetokounmpo or other oversized NBA big men, Adebayo triangulated a place where his height and high release point could get him over the top against the 7-footers who had been daring him to meet at the rim.
“It got developed, because obviously I’m an undersized big, so that’s one of those shots I can always get to,” said Adebayo, listed by the Heat at 6 foot 9, 255 pounds. “And it just became my patented shot, at this point. When I get to the dots in transition or halfcourt, it doesn’t matter who’s back there. I’m getting to that.”
As in the dotted lines just below the foul line.
“I always had that shot,” Adebayo added, as he sat by his locker after a recent game, teammates having cleared out by that point. “It’s just I had to sacrifice it in college, because opponents were bigger than me. That’s not a shot they wanted.
“And in the NBA, I had to fit in where I could, because I couldn’t come in here just jacking up shots, because I wasn’t drafted for that role.”
But as the Heat began to establish playoff success, as the postseason demands on Jimmy Butler grew almost excessive, as the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics effectively dared Adebayo to score from anywhere other than at the rim, the timing was perfect for that summit between Spoelstra and his All-Star center.
That is when the decision was cemented to explore Adebayo’s midrange game, even if there would be growing pains during the regular season, even if it would mean fewer shots for others, even with those “middies” characterized by some as unwise attempts.
“It was something that we knew we would have to work on for the playoffs, really,” Spoelstra said. “It was our last two playoff experiences. That’s what teams were basically funneling everything to. A regular season of taking enough of those and feeling comfortable with enough of those is really important, particularly against the best teams.”
So, the notion of Adebayo as a 3-point shooter was tabled, after extensive experimentation with that element during training camp. And no longer would there be quite as hard a roll to the rim after setting screens.
Basically, Adebayo and Spoelstra found a middle ground, which turned into an All-Star launch pad.
“I feel like it’s always good to expand your game,” Adebayo acknowledged. “But it’s also not bad to really fine tune the things that you’re good at and make them things you’re great at.”
No, there is no mid-range shooting contest during All-Star Weekend, just dunk and 3-point contests.
So Adebayo will leave those to others, as he did with Heat teammate Tyler Herro in Saturday night’s 3-point shootout.
And, no, Adebayo likely won’t spotlight middie madness during Sunday’s All-Star Game, knowing what people are coming to see at such moments.
But when the playoff race resumes Friday, Adebayo will be back in his special place.
In the lane.
Just below the foul line.
In real estate can claim as his own.
“I’ve always had it in my back pocket,” he said. “Now that I’ve grown and gotten the opportunity to really show the game, now you see the patented move, you see the growth of the offense, and that’s just me seeking opportunities now and my coaches love that.”
