Miami is leaning on its do-it-all center to take his game—and the franchise—to new heights.
It was the morning of Game 3 of the 2022 Eastern Conference finals in Boston, less than 48 hours after the Heat center had scored only six points in a 25-point loss to the Celtics at home. His Game 2 performance had invited another round of his critics’ favorite question: Is Bam aggressive enough? Ever since Adebayo became a starter in ’19, the expectations for him as an offensive force have grown. When he signed a max contract extension in November ’20, it seemingly added pressure for him to produce more points.