Adebayo’s resemblance to Dwight Howard and his onomatopoetic nickname fooled us all. “Bam” came to Kentucky built like the NBA All-Star, but mostly on paper, carrying a generous 6’1o” height with a wide, muscular frame. Adebayo’s experience was limited, playing the smallest division of North Carolina basketball for his first three years of high school.
The early box scores reflected his raw talent. In the 2016 calendar year, he recorded double-digit rebounds just three times. Offensively, he scored points, but mostly from dunks. Defensively, he struggled to balance playing physical and fouling.
Like most Calipari post players, he needed time to develop.