The defense of Kristaps Porzingis was praised, and Bam Adebayo reminded him that there was still a lot of work to do. The Heat pivot martyred the Latvian all evening, and more than the offensive talent of the All-Star pivot, we will remember the naivety of Kristaps Porzingis on the pick-and-roll and overall his bad readings.
From the start of the match, Bam Adebayo came to challenge him with a snack basket and simple play behind the back on the pick-and-roll. Throughout the evening, Kristaps Porzingis never found the parade… Same punishment for Daniel Gafford who tried the physical challenge. In vain.
” It’s one of those nights where my teammates give me the ball and I take advantage of my duel advantage explains the Olympic champion. “Those are shots the Wizards let me take.”
“Mister Reliability” for Erik Spoelstra
Long behind, the Heat took advantage of Bam Adebayo’s undermining work in the paint to move ahead, and it was he who made the difference in the “money time” with four points in a row, including this lay-up hand left in front of the immense arms of Kristaps Porzingis.
“He has had a lot of pressure on his shoulders for several matches because of the five different and the rest” recalls Erik Spoelstra. “We need this stability from our leaders. I think at some point we’re going to come out with ‘Mr Reliable’ T-Shirts, and we’re going to wear them.
A “reliability” that allows Bam Adebayo to sign a new double-double, and this one is strong: 38 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists. Without a single lost ball in 35 minutes.
| Bam Adebayo | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2017-18 | MIA | 69 | 20 | 51.2 | 0.0 | 72.1 | 1.7 | 3.8 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 6.9 |
| 2018-19 | MIA | 82 | 23 | 57.6 | 20.0 | 73.5 | 2.0 | 5.3 | 7.3 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 8.9 |
| 2019-20 | MIA | 72 | 34 | 55.7 | 14.3 | 69.1 | 2.4 | 7.8 | 10.2 | 5.1 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 15.9 |
| 2020-21 | MIA | 64 | 34 | 57.0 | 25.0 | 79.9 | 2.2 | 6.7 | 9.0 | 5.4 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 18.7 |
| 2021-22 | MIA | 56 | 33 | 55.7 | 0.0 | 75.3 | 2.5 | 7.6 | 10.1 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 19.1 |
| 2022-23 | MIA | 17 | 35 | 50.6 | 0.0 | 84.1 | 2.6 | 6.8 | 9.4 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 18.8 |
| Total | 360 | 29 | 55.5 | 12.3 | 74.7 | 2.2 | 6.2 | 8.4 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 13.7 | |
