Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, first supporters of their “role players”

The Heat cannot rest solely on the shoulders of Jimmy Butler And Bam Adebayo. The two players understood this well, integrating the fact that it was part of their leadership role to know how to put their “role players” in the best conditions, in addition to setting an example by displaying the best state of mind. .

In a way, they are the first supporters of their lieutenants, so that each of them can express themselves and respond present, depending on the profile of an opponent or the course of a match.

This variety in the offensive threat has thus become one of the Heat’s trademarks in recent years, with the perfect illustration of Game 3 won last night against Boston, where they are the Gabe Vincent (29 points), Duncan Robinson (22 marks) and Caleb Martin who made the show and ensured the scoring, without forgetting an equally aggressive Max Strus in the first half.

Basketball IQ and humility

For Erik Spoelstra, this performance is also the fruit of the playing intelligence of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, who have the humility to know how to share when the time is right.

“Yeah, and Jimmy and Bam both feed it. They instill confidence in them. In every moment of truth, Jimmy will use his determination to serve the game, and that’s what everyone expects of him. And it’s the same for Bam”, said the Heat coach. “ They also know that they have to have an impact on all the other players on the team. We talk about it all the time. You want to breathe life into other guys and ultimately be happy with their successes, but that takes a lot of emotional stability. There’s a lot of pressure, voices and noises coming at you in many ways. But these guys… These guys get it. And then you see certain “role players” developing and being able to broaden their palettes. All this only happens if the star players really want it”.

We can mention in particular the relationship between Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson, which had reached its peak during the “bubble” of Orlando in 2020, and which works again during these playoffs.

Full of motivation and confidence

Tonight, the Heat pivot did the same for Gabe Vincent, who stood out with his career-best game. He too was marked by the involvement of his leaders since the “bubble”.

“It’s been huge for me to see them up close in my rookie year in the ‘bubble’, to see how they fought during that time. It motivated me. It was inspiring to see them go out there and give it their all every night.” recalled the Nigerian international.

Alongside him, Caleb Martin, one of the team’s other potential X factors, also paid tribute to his two leaders, who “get everyone involved” when they could have been tempted to blaze in attack on a match like this night.

“It shows the confidence they have in us. If you ask me where my confidence comes from, I would answer that it comes largely from these two guys, who believe in us, who open up prospects for us and who are convinced that we are going to succeed, that we put our shots or not, and that we will continue to make the right choices”.