Heat legend thinks Bam Adebayo needs to shoot more

One Miami Heat legend thinks that there is one thing holding Bam Adebayo back from reaching the next level in his development.

Retired 11-time All-Star Chris Bosh spoke this week with Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. Bosh was asked what Adebayo’s next step should be.

“Shoot it,” said Bosh. “That’s it. Shoot it. Shoot it. That’s all he needs to do is shoot it, I’m telling you. I did it for 13 years in the league, man, and it didn’t steer me wrong. Shoot it. He has the playmaking ability, he is unselfish. It’s wonderful that he’s a team player. But for him to get to where he wants to go, he’s going to have to shoot the ball.

“I think he’s more than capable,” Bosh added. “Once he proves he’s a threat out there, Brook Lopez, DeAndre Jordan, and all those bigs, they can’t just be in the middle of the paint playing traffic cop. He needs to come back and needs to shoot it until they guard him. That would be my recommendation.”

One of the purest big-man jump shooters of his era, Bosh certainly knows what he is talking about. He was an elite midrange threat throughout his career, and his migration out to the three-point line in Miami unlocked all sorts of new dimensions for the Heat offense.

Adebayo is still only 24 and already does so much well on both ends of the floor. But he is not quite there yet with his jumper, having gone just 7-for-44 (15.9 percent) from three in his entire career. One of Adebayo’s teammates even commented on his lack of aggressiveness during Miami’s first-round loss this year. Taking Bosh’s advice and letting it fly more often would probably do Adebayo a world of good.