During the Miami Heat’s first-round dispatching of the Atlanta Hawks, Bam Adebayo showcased precisely why he finished among the top-five in Defensive Player of the Year voting this year. His perimeter mobility, length and wide-ranging ground coverage walled off drives for Trae Young and rendered a top-three regular-season offense untenable.
In three of those contests though, Adebayo took nine or fewer shots, including two games with a combined 11 shots and 15 points. Miami didn’t encounter much trouble coasting past Atlanta, but Adebayo surely wasn’t casting his holistic All-Star-caliber imprint upon the series.
Against the Philadelphia 76ers, Adebayo has been the series’ best player en route to a pair of blowout victories. Through two games, the 24-year-old is tallying 23.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals on 80% True Shooting. He’s averaging 10.5 shots and 9.5 free throws, notable leaps from the 8.4 shots and 4.4 free throws he averaged during Round 1.
With Joel Embiid sidelined, the Sixers’ other options at center — DeAndre Jordan, Paul Reed, Millsap and Tobias Harris — are ill-equipped to contain Adebayo offensively. Some are too slow to track him (Jordan, Millsap). Others are too small (Millsap, Harris). Another is too inexperienced as he garners his first extended trial of playoff basketball (Reed).
Jordan’s idle nature as a drop defender exposes him in pick-and-rolls. Harris lacks the length to alter the Heat center’s finishes. Reed, prone to overzealous tendencies, has fallen for quite a few pump-fakes and has sent Adebayo to the foul line. Together, they’ve all proven incapable of neutralizing or slowing his interior scoring prowess.
Adebayo isn’t doing anything radically different to generate these heightened scoring numbers. He’s just flourishing against a greatly beneficial matchup and amplifying Miami’s leading perimeter duo of Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro.
His timing and discretion as a roller have been crucial too. He routinely picks the optimal angle or path from which to begin his dives and sets hulking screens. Butler, Herro, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus have all been recipients of his excellent screening, and his keen understanding of when to migrate toward the rim eases the burden for ball-handlers.
With seven screen assists through two second-round duels (per NBA.com), only Deandre Ayton (10), Giannis Antetokounmpo (10) and Dwight Powell (8) have more. Scoff at that statistic to your heart’s desire, but there’s a degree of utility in it. Adebayo’s screening is integral to the prosperity of Miami’s half-court offense, which is not flooded with standstill creators and requires him to aid perimeter scorers in their quest for space.