When looking at Miami’s roster in this playoffs, one might think that Tyler Herro or Duncan Robinson going off could be the team’s X-factor. In my opinion, the best thing that could happen to the Heat is Bam Adebayo becoming an aggressive force during this run. We saw a glimpse of this during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but it needs to continue if Miami wants to confidently win this series and ultimately the Finals.
Before his dominant Game 3 performance, Bam was being heavily criticized for how conservative he was being in this series. Through the first two games of the East Finals, Bam was averaging 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 0 steals on 60% shooting. While he was scoring pretty efficiently, Bam’s wasn’t scoring at a high enough rate to make a significant offensive impact. With Robert Williams ruled out for Game 3, as well as missing Jimmy Butler for the entire second half, this was the perfect opportunity for Bam to be aggressive.
Bam, with the help of a healthy Kyle Lowry, exploded early on in Game 3. With 16 points at halftime, he had already matched his combined total from the previous two games. His 22 field goal attempts in this game are his career high, including both the regular season and the playoffs. He also made a huge impact defensively, adding 4 steals to Miami’s grand total of 19. Bam ended with 31 points, his 2nd highest career playoff total, along with 10 rebounds on 68.2% shooting.
Miami has shown to be successful this postseason when Bam isn’t conservative offensively. The Heat are 5-1 in the playoffs when Bam takes 10 or more shots, showing that his aggressiveness helps the team out immensely. While it’s hard to expect him to drop 30 points every game, especially with a healthy Jimmy Butler, it’s important that he continues to attack the basket. With Tyler Herro still struggling, Bam’s play will determine just how far Miami can continue this playoff run.
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