The Miami Heat's Season Depends On One Bam Adebayo Stat

Basketball has evolved over the past decade. More space inside the paint has been created and the pace of the game has sped up to historic levels in recent years. This has led to big men evolving their skillset behind the three-point line.

Adebayo has struggled to grow with the game around him. The veteran center shot more than one three-pointer per game for the first time in his eight-year career last season. Adebayo made 35.7 percent of his threes while averaging 2.8 three-point attempts.

"But even as Adebayo showed meaningful improvement from distance -- he made 79 3-pointers this past season, versus just nine in his entire career before March 2024 -- he suffered a drop-off across the rest of his offensive output."Zach Kram of ESPN

Heat fans are hopeful that this upcoming season is the one where Adebayo puts it all together offensively. While becoming a more efficient shooter from beyond the arc, he became a significantly less efficient offensive player in almost every other category of offense.

"Adebayo's true shooting percentage fell to a career-low 56%, marking its fourth straight decline since his career-high 63% in 2020-21. He generated a career-worst free-throw rate, didn't get to the rim and was one of the league's least efficient post-up scorers."Zach Kram of ESPN

The number being emphasized is 56 percent. The steady decline in total efficiency year after year is alarming. As one of the team's franchise players, Adebayo has only averaged more than 20 points once. The acquisition of perennial three-level scorer Norman Powell is not going to make these expectations disappear.

Adebayo is slated to make $49 million this season and deservedly so. He's arguably the most versatile defensive weapon the league has to offer. Along with the league's best big men, the 6-foot-9 center can guard top forwards and some guards. Even as a weak jump shooter, he's managed to average 18 points in each of the past five seasons.

Being a star player for a competitive franchise that has already achieved so much can lead to big expectations that may be beyond who he actually is. Adebayo has been the starting center of two championship contending teams playing the game his way.

"With Norman Powell -- who led the NBA in points per touch this past season -- joining Tyler Herro, the Heat will have more offensive juice in the backcourt in 2025-26, but they need a Bam bounce-back in the frontcourt to contend in the East."Zach Kram of ESPN

The franchise center has been top-3 in field goal attempts for a majority of his eight seasons with the Heat. When workload, volume, salary, and tenure is considered, it's still not unreasonable to demand more from Adebayo as an offensive weapon. The Heat organization and fanbase expect Adebayo's four-year efficiency skid to end this season in a big way.

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