Bam Adebayo's regression has hurt Heat

When Bam Adebayo made Team USA's 12-man roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics, it meant Jaren Jackson Jr., Chet Holmgren, Evan Mobley and many other talented bigs were snubbed. 

Adebayo justified his selection with steady production off the bench, backing up and playing next to Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis in certain lineups. Soon after he won his second Olympic gold medal, the Heat rewarded their 27-year-old big man with a three-year maximum contract extension. 

Entering the 2024-25 season, Adebayo was primed to take the next step in his evolution, especially as a scorer. Thus far, the opposite has happened. 

Adebayo is averaging his fewest points (16.1) since the 2019-20 season while shooting a career-low 45 percent from the field. Even more worryingly, Adebayo's defense, his calling card since his collegiate career in Kentucky, has regressed considerably from last season. Adebayo ranks 48th in defensive win/shares after finishing among the top in most defensive metrics a year ago, for which he received the third-most votes for Defensive Player of the Year.

Another metric highlighting Adebayo's regression is his on/off stats. After finishing in the top three in plus/minus in each of the last four seasons, the Kentucky alum has the worst plus/minus (0.0) among all Heat starters this season. 

When the Heat blew a 17-point lead against the Kings on Monday, Adebayo shot 6-of-19 from the floor and got out-hustled by Domantas Sabonis, who came away with 18 boards, including a few offensive rebounds, in the two overtime periods. The performance came just 48 hours after he shot 0-of-6 in a 36-point loss to Utah. 

It was rather jarring that Adebayo, a player known to leave it all on the floor, got outworked in back-to-back games by his matchups, namely Walker Kessler and Sabonis.  

For years, Adebayo was being positioned to take the reins from Jimmy Butler as the Heat's next franchise star. Perhaps his regression as a player has given the Heat cause for pause.