On Sunday, the Heat won 119-107 vs. the Wizards to improve their record to 41-33 this season. Miami is just one game out of sixth in the Eastern Conference. Only the top six seeds make the postseason without having to compete in the play-in tournament. Their final eight games of the season are extremely important if they want to make that happen.
In March, starting center Bam Adebayo decided he wanted to start shooting more threes in games. While his attempts per game are limited, Adebayo is knocking down shots from range more confidently. The three-time all-star said, “It’s time for the tides to shift.” Since then, the 26-year-old has found ways to take more threes in game situations.
Can Bam Adebayo continue to use his three-point efficiency as another trick in his arsenal?
Am I crazy or should the fact that Bam Adebayo went from never taking threes to making at least 1 a game now be talked about more??? This is so fascinating to me. Lol. https://t.co/1YcZ1bd8M9
— Hooksnhoopz (@hooksnhoopz) March 30, 2024
For most of his career in the NBA, Miami’s Bam Adebayo hasn’t incorporated a three-point shot into his game. The big man can make jump shots but has chosen to stay away from taking multiple threes. That was until about mid-March when Adebayo said he felt like taking more shots from range. Adebayo did exactly that and has been on a solid shooting streak recently. In his last nine games, Adebayo is 9-16 from beyond the arc. An outstanding (.563) percent in those nine games.
In 2023-24, Adebayo is hitting threes at a career-high (.333) percent. The big man was just 1 of 14 from beyond the arc in 54 games before his shooting streak started. He’s also set new career highs of (10) made threes and (30) attempted threes in a season. Adebayo says the key to continue shooting thress is confidence and seeing his shot go in. Expect to see shots from deep as a regular part of his game moving forward.
I asked Erik Spoelstra about Bam Adebayo shooting threes and if coverages could begin to shift:
“Not this year.”
When I asked what it would open up, he said:
“4-5 years from now we’re gonna look back at this and laugh that this stuff was even a conversation.”
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) March 30, 2024
It’s not that Bam Adebayo can’t make threes. The big man is just selective of when he takes them. Shooters want to be confident when they are attempting threes. Now that Adebayo is seeing them go in regularly, he has the confidence to attempt threes without hesitation. For his career, Adebayo’s three-point percentage is (.196). You can’t blame him for not taking threes in the past. Now, Adebayo is trusting his shot and is seeing the benefits of his work.
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