Pat Riley held his exit interview on Monday to talk about the current state of the Miami Heat, and one of the main topics he covered was the upcoming extension talks with Bam Adebayo.
Talking to Zachary Weinberger of ClutchPoints, the Miami Heat president praised Bam Adebayo for his growth, as he has been an integral part of the squad in the past few years.
However, after a disappointing 2023-24 campaign, Riley issued a huge challenge for his star center ahead of the offseason, as he compared his experience coaching Magic Johnson when he was his head coach with the Los Angeles Lakers back in the 80s.
“Everybody knows in the league what his game is. They all know what he does for us, how important he is for us in a lot of areas and so he has to expand also his game,” Riley said about Adebayo. “I remember in 1986 after we got beat by Houston, Magic came into me and he said we have to change some things, I have to change, I have to start shooting threes. Back when threes weren’t being shot and more than 10 a game, I got to become a better outside shooter and all this.”
“Bam has to look at his game and sit with Coach (Spoelstra) and how can he get better and expand his game, but he’s at a point right now where you know he’s he’s an all-NBA player, and we’re happy to have him.”
Bam Adebayo for the Miami Heat in 2023-24
Bam Adebayo had a good year in 2023-24, as he became an NBA All-Star for the third time in his career and is a finalist for the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year award.
With Jimmy Butler out for the playoffs, Bam Adebayo had to shoulder the scoring load for the Miami Heat, averaging 22.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game on 49.5 percent shooting from the floor.
More must-reads: