Team USA fell short on Sunday morning against France, which may seem like a shocking result, but isn’t if you’ve been keeping up. The same issues have stayed in tact, while Bam Adebayo shined early as the leading scorer in the first half.

Aside from two missed free throws late, he put them in a position to compete offensively, while we all know what he does defensively.

Now, the focus of this article will be on Adebayo, even though I usually highlight the Nigeria bunch, in Gabe Vincent, KZ Okpala, and Precious Achiuwa. Due to the inability of getting video clips from that game, here’s a few things to note…

Vincent struggled from deep in this game, which will continue to be the thing to watch considering a spot on a Heat team. Shooting is the strength that must remain his strength, so consistency must be a top attribute of his to take that next leap.

Achiuwa looked like he had a decent game in the box score, but if you watched the game, the struggles were apparent as well. He had some good defensive possessions, but the overarching theme was turnovers. I’ve talked about his body control and game speed needing to slow down a bit, but it looked to take a few steps back in the game this morning.

Lastly, Okpala pretty much looked the exact same as he did in the exhibition games. Placed into a role as a spot-up guy who isn’t truly capable of being a threat, while mixing in some attacks. He had a good bucket to begin the game on a drive, but other than that, he just can’t get downhill at all. Deficiency of moves, lack of a quick step, and more seems to be the issues, which leaves people awaiting for some type of offensive flash.

So, back to Adebayo and team USA, let’s dive into some positive things that stood out from him alone, since well, this USA team shares the same flaws as the Heat: soft switching, lack of rebounding, no point guard, etc…

Soft Touch in the Interior

The mid-range was a close friend of his in this game to start, which was what got him into double figures rather quickly in the first half. An open shot a few feet away from the rim doesn’t seem important to note, but it is.

For one, he wasn’t supposed to be anything close to a leading scorer with the talent this team has, but the reliance on him has risen since the struggles began. With some extra attempts, we’ve seen more of an urge to mix in more than just a regular jumper.

Last season, the jumper fell frequently, but it didn’t matter where he was on the floor, he was flowing into that shot. Throwing in some post hooks and one-hand push shots has been a normal thing with team USA, and it’s effective due to outstanding touch.

Free throw line jumpers are fun to watch go in, but the true dominance will occur when he can do stuff in the area above. A consistent go-to in that spot of the court can change some things for his game, which will only become more and more lethal, the farther he expands his offensive game.

Necessary Transition Offense

If you asked me what a primary reason is for the USA’s offensive struggles, I’d probably start with the lack of transition offense. Thinking back to past USA teams, fast-break opportunities was the theme of the offense. Lob passes, full-court dimes, flashy dunks.

But now, it’s turned into slowed pacing in the half-court, which it has shown that doesn’t favor this team.

Not only could Adebayo come into play here with his passing ability down court, but he can be the transition initiator. He’s faster than any big that he matches up with in these games, which is the real advantage for him.

As he pushes the pace in the play above, he uses his strength to his advantage. A quick bump on Rudy Gobert gives him more than enough space for the lay-in.

Although we’re discussing this in an Olympic sense, we can easily relate this back to Miami. I’ve mentioned many times that Adebayo will need to run the break much more than he already does with the Heat, since he continued to look for Jimmy Butler or others in those situations.

These are perfect reps for him to grow comfortable in that space, and that confidence would rise if it was actually effective for this unit. That is how this team can truly thrive, and that all starts with creating offense on the defensive end.

Adebayo is the Offensive Action

This team has basically shown that running offensive sets isn’t important. News flash: it is.

Isolation ball just won’t cut it, especially when the team continues to struggle from the perimeter. Some diversified sets will need to be thrown in, and the only time we seem to see anything close to that is when Adebayo is in the game.

He is the offensive set.

For one, the pocket pass has become their way of facilitating offense and forcing a defense into a rotational frenzy. In the play above, Adebayo receives the pass as the defender rotates over for the tag from the corner, but he patiently waits before rising up for a bucket.

The usual outcome of these plays is a simple kick-out for three, since that is the role of Adebayo. It’s also the way I would expect him to be used when the Heat get a point guard, due to that truly maximizing his passing abilities. It allows him to create on the move, which means he’s making decisions instinctively where he thrives.

Yes, I may harp on Miami needing that simple pocket pass team USA uses, but it seems team USA needs some of those actions that the Heat use. Motion offense would truly change the way this team plays, due to them just ball watching at the moment.

But what are those sets they could take from Miami?

We’ve seen some DHO’s with Adebayo and Kevin Durant, which should be utilized constantly with each of those guys’ abilities. He hands it off and pivots into a down screen, giving Durant more than enough room to pull the three for a bucket.

It doesn’t seem complicated. The team just needs some type of structure. Some type of go-to. And that go-to up to this point has been Adebayo, mostly because they trust him to make the right decision as a passer. Other than Draymond Green and himself, they miss that option.

Honestly, if Adebayo is the leading scorer in a first half like that, it mostly means that team USA isn’t in a great spot. He’s the bail out option, and he did just that early on. It’s promising to see him at this point in his career as a primary option when things get tough, but the true impact from him will come when others are doing their part and hitting shots.

Hounding Perimeter Defense

Lastly, I do want to touch on his defense in this game, as it was pretty impactful on the perimeter. Much like the conversations we have had in the past with the Heat, the soft switching with Adebayo on the perimeter can hurt the team at times.

Yes, Adebayo can lock up that perimeter player, as he did many times today, but these teams are very good at feeding the mismatch. That means, getting the ball inside to the bigs who are being defended by a guard.

In Miami, a lot of the over-switching happened with Adebayo, but in these games, everybody switches for no reason. It’s almost as if it’s the complete game-plan, which leads to second half runs from these opposing well coached teams.

Aside from the negative aspect to the scheme, Adebayo did his part today on that end, continuing to blanket any match-up that was in front of him. Looking at the clip above, you can see what that type of stuff leads to. It eliminates any dribble penetration from the two guys in the hand-off, while it ends in a three which is the result team USA is hoping for.

Once again, Adebayo has been a focal point on both ends so far in these games, which is why he was in the game to finish early this morning. This game may not have had many positives, especially with Adebayo’s missed free throws down the stretch, but his ability to adjust with this type of team and be effective is very impressive.

Even if you aren’t seeing much change in his game, he is growing. And the Heat have to be watching this and picking up the phone to improve their team back in Miami.

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Team USA came away with the win in the final exhibition game against Spain, and although Bam Adebayo wasn’t the focal point in the scoring column, he was in all of the other primary areas.

So, as we usually do in these pieces, let’s dive right into all things Adebayo from last night’s game, which of course must start with the defensive side of the ball…

The Perimeter Lesson: Two Mismatches Become One

There were two different defensive principles that stood out with Adebayo yesterday, but we must start with the one that everybody loves to discuss: perimeter clamps. In a very similar defensive scheme to the Miami Heat, Adebayo finds himself on opposing guards time and time again.

While that doesn’t seem problematic, it is for the guard switching onto the rolling big. The thing about these type of switches in a general sense is that it usually creates two mismatches. The guard can take the slower big man off the dribble in space, while the big man can body the smaller guard on the block.

But when Adebayo is defending the action, the number of mismatches shifts from two to one. The perimeter lesson continues to be a tale of two halves. The opposing guard tries to take advantage of these switches early in the first half, before realizing in the second half a pass and relocation to the corner is the best call.

In the first clip above, Adebayo finds himself defending in space at the top of the key as others clear out a bit. Without much effort, he cuts off the ball-handler with his quick feet, forcing a kick-out as the shot clock ticked down to 3 seconds. That’s just a usual occurrence for Adebayo, but opposing NBA defenses have already found this out. These other Olympic teams are just finding out now.

Looking at the second clip above, you can see what I mean when I say there’s only one mismatch in the action. Once again, the ball-handler tries to take advantage of Adebayo off the dribble, but it goes absolutely no where. He retreats and feeds his big man with Damian Lillard defending for a bucket.

This defensive skill-set should be his biggest strength on that side of the floor, but I’m not so sure that it is……

Help-Side Dominance is the True Defensive Strength

As stated previously, it’s always fun to point out those possessions since it just showcases pure versatility and talent. But I don’t believe that is when he is at his absolute best for defensive disruption.

He’s not an interior force that can deter guys away at the rim with shot blocking, but he is a weak-side deterrent. When he is in the action, he disrupts his match-up while the other guy has a rough time. When he’s not in the action, his free-lancing, instinctive ways kick-in for absolute dominance inside the arc.

Let’s take a look above at some of the clips. In the first one, we see Adebayo awaiting a possible off-ball screen on the weak-side, before the big slips the screen, leaving Adebayo ball-watching once again. Without hesitation, Adebayo comes for the cut-off as Lillard is fronting the post, and it leads to a turnover.

That is how Team USA can do a full 360 with their defensive scheming. Yes, utilize talent on that end of the floor, but not at the cost of weaker defenders. Sustain the switch heavy scheme, but there must be total commitment to doubles and help-side quickness for it to work. And that means they will have to try to keep Draymond Green and Adebayo on the weak-side as much as possible.

Looking at the second and third clips above, this was the outcome of back to back possessions. He may be known as a perimeter stopper, but his interior defense has been strong as he attacks passing lanes. First, he deflects the ball on the entry pass into the post, which gets the team out into the open court where they thrive.

The final clip is Adebayo at his best. USA blitzes the initial action, leaving Adebayo defending both the corner and the rolling big man. He immediately cuts him off and strips it for yet another fast-break opportunity.

And speaking of fast-break opportunities…..

Extra Transition Reps

Something I talked about in Adebayo’s 2020-2021 season recap is the amount of transition opportunities he gets on a game to game basis. Players with that type of size and speed isn’t an ordinary combo, so it must be utilized in any way possible.

In Miami, it always felt he was looking for Jimmy Butler to make a play or Goran Dragic to try and get to the basket, but it’s going to be crucial for him to do more of that. And that’s one thing these Team USA reps will do for him, as he has a bit more fast-break freedom.

He had back-to-back transition tries early in the second quarter on Sunday night, and the first one ended in Butler-style. He put his head down to take the contact and get to the free throw line, which is always an important thing to do with the skill-set he has.

Although the second play didn’t end positively, as he lost the ball out of bounds while running at full speed, you can see how it can be effective. He absolutely beats everybody down the floor as expected, but ultimately is stopped by himself. That’s usually the takeaway with Adebayo in many circumstances, since it feels the only guy that can slow him down is Bam Adebayo.

Team USA’s Offensive Key 

Now, back into some of the half-court offense stuff, his play-style has been consistent since the first exhibition game. He’s a pure rolling threat, except he is the primary play-maker when put in that position.

Spacing has been a bit problematic with Team USA, but there’s a reason that hasn’t been the case in Green-Adebayo lineups. It’s not about maximizing shooters and scorers, it’s about setting up shooters and scorers.

Looking at the first clip above, Adebayo just checks into the game and uses some slight trickery. He acts as if he’s not going up for the screen to stay in the dunker spot, before sprinting up to the top of the key for the pick. They continue to blitz Lillard which ends in yet another pocket pass: also known as Adebayo’s home base.

Three defenders end up at the top by Lillard, as Adebayo is in the middle of the floor with plenty of options as only two defenders stand in his way. He looks right which sends the perimeter rotation in that direction, while both defenders crash him with the ball. He immediately turns for an easy corner kick-out to Kevin Durant for the triple.

This was pretty similar to the first play ran when Adebayo entered the game in the first quarter. In the second clip, they blitzed Durant in a similar fashion, as Lillard back-pedaled to the three-point line and Adebayo surveyed the floor with Ricky Rubio in front of him. He rises up for a contested layup which is off the mark, showing that a repeat of the first clip would’ve been the best call.

The kick-out was there for Lillard, which essentially will be their offense moving forward. Adebayo is the key for good looks on this team, and it’ll continue to be the key for him in the Heat’s offense.

Making Plays Off Pure Skill

As much as I dive into the importance of adding a point guard for primary play-making duties, that will never stop Adebayo from doing what he does, nor should it. He’s a natural passer that perfectly sets up his teammates for good looks, and that will always be a staple of his game.

When calling somebody a natural passer, it means that they do stuff in a way that I continue to use as a description for Adebayo: instinctive. Things won’t always go according to plan in a certain set, but being able to adjust mid-play and find the open man is when the word instinctive comes into play.

Looking at the first clip above, it’s initially a reiteration of that action I discussed in the last section. They blitz Zach LaVine, Adebayo receives the pocket pass, kick-out for the corner three. After the miss, Adebayo grabs the rebound and does what he does best: react.

He rises up to take the contact and get the big man in the air, and hits Keldon Johnson in stride for the bucket. That is far from an easy play to make, but it just looks so effortless when a big with his skill-set is doing it.

Another thing about his passing in these games is that he continues to force the ball into tight windows. It’s quite the gamble at times that can get him in some trouble with that Heat squad, but those timely gambles are working out well for him in these exhibition games.

Johnson slips the screen as Adebayo leads his man for a layup. Running sets, free-lancing, transition lead passes. It’s all in his bag as a passer, which is why it’s more than an unselfishness with his play-making. It’s just that he’s utilizing his talent and strengths.

Some Post-Move Flashes?

The final thing we got a quick glance at yesterday was a good looking post move. It’s an area of his game we always come back to, since that can open up everything else in the offense.

In the clip above, he forces the switch for the mismatch, but he never seemed to know how to take advantage of that with the Heat. His play-style is not overpowering an opponent with his back to the basket using incredible strength, so he improvises.

He uses his comfortable face-up game to get to a favorable spot on the block, after a quick jab into a baseline spin puts him in perfect position. He pump-fakes, uses some of that elbow and shoulder to create some space, then finishes with the left hand on the hook.

Once again, I don’t ever see him punishing mismatches on the block consistently with size, but some finesse moves to create an easy shot with space is the one thing he needs, and clearly it’s a capable addition.

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Soft switching, reluctant shooting, DHO over-usage. When watching Bam Adebayo closely, it leaves you highlighting some of his weaknesses, but it’s necessary to constantly step out of that box.

Why is there such a focus on the negatives with him in particular? Well, he’s special. Really special.

Sometimes harping on a lot of these things, that a now 24 year old has in his bag, just isn’t the right way to go about it. He’s beat all of the odds to get to this point, so what makes you think a few minor bumps in the road won’t be tweaked?

Looking back to when he started with the Miami Heat, not only was the selection debatable, but the role he was being put in was debatable. Adding a guy with the 14th pick in the draft that looks to be a rim runner with defensive versatility wouldn’t seem to be enough to reach elite status.

But then came the leap.

In comes Jimmy Butler, and up goes Adebayo. This isn’t to say that Butler is responsible for that type of skill-set expansion, but the timing was right. In the middle of some good looking jumps in his game, Covid-19 came into play, which rocked the boat for all 30 NBA teams.

A couple months down the line, a bubble is formed and a Miami Heat run is started. The focus may have been on role player dominance, a Goran Dragic revival, and a Butler statement, but Adebayo was the glue. And that would be the answer of anybody on that 2019-2020 squad.

A little more confidence in his jumper led to taking on the vocal role that Udonis Haslem always wanted him to, before arriving at the play in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals that still gets brought up to this day. As Mark Jones said on the broadcast, “Tatum out in front. Clock at 7. Working against Butler, got downhill. Couldn’t punch it. Bam says get it out of here.”

In that moment, the perception flipped. It wasn’t just the Miami locals realizing what this young man is doing, but people all over the NBA world began to take notice. Not only does he have the talent of many of the league’s young stars, but he has the grit and work ethic of some of the most known players that wore “Heat” across their chest.

After making it to the NBA Finals, injuries struck, and disappointment followed. It left many questioning, what would’ve happened if they had a healthy unit? But a more important question to ask, how would a healthy Adebayo benefited from that type of environment?

He got a slight taste of it, but clearly, he wasn’t at 100%.

A quick turnaround is the outcome into the 2020-2021 NBA season, awaiting the next step of Adebayo’s career. But yet again, adversity strikes. Many of the Heat’s players in and out of the lineup for Covid protocols didn’t give him the best chance to grow in a functional offensive and defensive scheme.

On some nights, those negative questions that can be had came into play. Why hasn’t Adebayo stepped up as the guy when others have gone down? Well, then January 23rd happened.

A new big three has just been formed in Brooklyn, as a Miami Heat team with no Butler strolls into Barclays Center. Expectations were low.

But every quarter that went by, the expectations of the game rose higher and higher. What led to this unexpected shift? The guy that has been given the nickname “no ceiling.”

A 41 point masterpiece fell short in the win column, but it definitely was a W in the development column. Step-back jumpers, and-1 finishes, and off-the-dribble dominance reassured the NBA world that the nickname is no joke.

Recency bias takes us into the present moment, which has many thinking about that first round sweep by the Milwaukee Bucks, who are currently one game away from an NBA championship.

Yes, there were down moments in that series for Adebayo. But there were also down moments from the rest of the Miami Heat’s roster. After two consecutive seasons felt like a run-on sentence, it actually looked more like relief than disappointment.

Of course this organization doesn’t take losing lightly, but in some ways, charging back up with a new roster for the next season didn’t sound like the worst thing in the world.

When talking about perceptions, this can be viewed from two different angles: the public and the league. Although I’ve talked about the ways most observers view him, it’s really amazing how much respect fellow NBA players have for him. On Team USA, guys like Draymond Green, Zach LaVine, and others realize how special he is on the court, which is when the unselfishness becomes a major positive in the big picture.

He’s had an adventurous run up to this point, but it’s far from over. Game-saving blocks, Team USA post-game interviews, and the NBA Finals by year 4 should not be taken lightly.

And although everything is about the ‘now’ with the Miami Heat, they have a certain gem that can take them as far as he chooses. Being that he just turned 24 today, there are still years upon years until he reaches his final form.

But for now, just sit back at times and realize that critiquing so thoroughly isn’t always necessary. He’s ahead of schedule in many ways, but he treats each day, game, and practice as if he’s behind schedule.

That’s why he is a winner. That’s why he is a member of the Miami Heat.

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In these Olympic exhibition games, there’s been a Heat player that has shined in every one of them. Gabe Vincent knocked down 6 threes for Nigeria against Team USA in the first match, while Precious Achiuwa put on an offensive display in the second game.

Now, Bam Adebayo was finally the focal point of the day, not just from a Heat sense, but even being the post-game interview for Team USA after the win. In my last two pieces, I’ve dove into all four Heat players from these games, but today’s will be a little different.

Nigeria had a rough game against Australia on Tuesday night, and other than a few good looking Achiuwa buckets around the rim, nothing really stood out from the Heat guys. So, let’s jump right into Adebayo’s performance against Argentina, playing as much of an all-around game as possible….

Rolling Dominance Sustains Heat Priorities 

This is the role that I expected Bam Adebayo to solely play with Team USA, but clearly it has expanded much greater. Adebayo scores 10 seconds into this game, and it’s all due to a flash from the past as a lob threat.

Coming into the league, that was the role many expected him to play with the Miami Heat, but putting a “ceiling” on him was the wrong choice. When running PnR’s with the Heat at this stage, while lacking true guard facilitators, his rolling has to be much slower a lot of the time, instead of a full out dive.

Of course he received the occasional lob this past season, but the team basically forced him into a stop at the elbow so the guard can build some momentum to try and score style of play. But with the talent on Team USA, it’s just an instinctive dive every single play.

Looking at the clip above, this type of initial action not only benefits Team USA as a whole, but also Adebayo’s evolving skill-set. He sets the off-ball screen for Bradley Beal, before redirecting the screen to flow into a PnR back to the left side. It forces a 2 on 1 which leaves Beal with a pretty easy decision: throw it up for Adebayo to throw down.

After that was the initial possession of the first half, the opening of the second half looked pretty similar. In the second clip above, they worked the ball through Adebayo so he can get Zach LaVine flowing left as a defensive miscommunication occurs.

Although the help is there for the tag on Adebayo, he has the clear size advantage and regains possession after the miss for a put-back layup. He is much more than a rim runner at this stage, but his athletic build means that he must be utilized in that fashion on this squad.

And well, this type of effectiveness sustains Heat priorities: a point guard.

A Passing Clinic

Looking at the stat sheet at the end of the first quarter may have been a surprise for some to see that Adebayo dished out 5 assists through 7 minutes, but that wasn’t even the most impressive part. It was actually the way he was doing it.

When discussing the reasons that these Team USA reps are so great for him, it begins with the trial runs in different spots of the floor. His play-making ability is obviously one of his main strengths: easy DHO’s, face-ups at the elbow, etc. But mixing it up in this way propels confidence and comfort in the long run.

In the first clip above, Adebayo’s running the floor with the ball in his hands, but he knows exactly what he is doing. When passing half-court, he gave a quick glance over to Lillard, getting an idea of where he was on the floor. Lillard slips the off-ball screen which leaves his defender in the dust, as Adebayo turns into post-up positioning. (And as we know, that’s a signal for a pass or a turnaround jumper)

He sets up Lillard with a crisp bounce pass for the bucket. There’s a major parallel with the second clip above as well, even though they look entirely different. Adebayo hits Kevin Durant in stride in transition, but it just shows what makes him such an amazing passer.

He’s just a natural, and more importantly, he’s instinctive. Bigs that are instinctive passers are hard to come by, but that is what makes him so special. He just reacts.

Reacting to a defense isn’t a teachable skill, and playing against these other teams gets him additional looks at very diverse offensive play-styles. That’s why this time is so crucial.

More Pocket Pass Effectiveness

I don’t want to make this piece all about selling the point about adding a point guard, but these pocket passes make it hard to pass up. I touched on it in depth in my last piece, but this possession shows why it’s so important.

They’re running a high PnR, which is something Adebayo and Duncan Robinson did a lot of down the stretch of last season. The difference is that Robinson wasn’t a threat when he got inside the arc, leading to much different defensive scheming.

Lillard and Adebayo are able to play back-yard ball with this easy 2 on 1 due to the defender dropping down instead of blitzing. The Robinson-Adebayo combo, on the other hand, never saw the big drop.

Instead of a rotation frenzy that the Heat dealt with once the help-side stepped over, team USA is able to get easy opportunities at the basket with the firepower on the perimeter. It’s not just about finding a guy to make that pass to Adebayo, but a guy with enough gravity to make it effective.

Diversifying the Pocket Pass Reception 

Now, they actually used that pocket pass so much in this game, that it became semi-predictable. And that will happen on a higher scale in the NBA.

Let’s just say that Miami grabs a point guard and utilizes this offensive play-style next year. It is then on Adebayo to mix it up a bit with different looks to make a defense uncomfortable. If not, it’ll be on top of the scouting report and can easily be taken away.

For example in the play above, it’s a similar possession except Adebayo gets caught behind the back-board in the dunker spot, which wasn’t the first time it happened in this game. Actually, both times it happened a three was the outcome of the possession, but that is besides the point.

On possessions like this when the defender is trying to fully recover on the ball-handler, Adebayo will need to drift out a bit to that coveted baseline jumper. If the defender tries to cut off Adebayo’s roll, then he must continue the dive, but becoming a pocket pass threat from different spots will be so important.

He has pretty much mastered the drift-out to the elbow in these actions, but the baseline spacer will be the next step.

Tough Shot-Making

If there was an Adebayo moment from this game that was the most promising, it was definitely this one.

He does his own version of the “Kelly Keeper” with a fake DHO into the drive. With his defender still glued to him pretty closely, he turns it into a step-back jumper on the baseline. Bucket.

This is that offensive freedom that many expected him to gain in this USA environment. That may not be his role on this team, but seeing him realize the things that he is capable of is such an important element.

From a film sense, this play is pretty simple, but this is much more about the mental side of things. Having enough confidence to take a contested step-back in this fashion tells me all that I need to know about his next step. And yet, he’s currently thriving on Team USA in many of the offensive sets the Miami Heat use.

Watch this Closely Miami…..

So, we’ve talked about pocket passes and drifting out into a jumper, but here’s a quick example of how the Miami Heat could really utilize this type of stuff.

Let’s just take a look at this play. Offense is once again running through Adebayo as it seems he’s searching for a DHO. Beal fakes as if he’s going for the hand-off then dives to the basket, forcing both his defender and the big to drop down.

Lillard gives a slight fake as well before cutting to the basket in the open floor, essentially leading to a double pocket pass. Adebayo hits Lillard which draws the big even deeper into the paint, before dishing it right back to Adebayo on the elbow for a good look.

He may have missed, but this is the stuff Miami could try and mix into the scheme to maximize Adebayo’s scoring abilities. The expansion of his mid-range game should not be taken lightly, meaning they can get him plenty of open looks in similar spots.

The only issue, which continues as the theme of this discussion, is that some type of downhill threat is needed to make this possible. And once they get that, I believe the offensive play-book can open up a bit more.

Defensive Dominance

After breaking down all of the offensive stuff, we have to finish it off with some defensive discussion. This game was probably his best game on that end of the floor, which says a lot due to him dictating stuff since the first exhibition game.

To begin with the on-ball stuff, it’s no surprise that he can lock up any opposing guard that he switches onto. The only difference between this and the NBA is that players think they have a mismatch when he trots over the screen on the perimeter.

In the NBA, they usually pass away and reposition to the corner to eliminate him from the play, and I guess these teams are learning that quickly. In the first clip above, the ball-handler tries to put the move on Adebayo for the blow-by but gets absolutely nowhere. He then flows into a turnaround jumper which once again generates zero space, resulting in a perfect contest and block from Adebayo.

The second clip is much more than just a defensive stop. He contains in transition without fouling, using his length and quickness to his advantage. This led to him finding an offensive mismatch on the floor, which is just running in the open court. None of these guys his size can keep up with him in transition, forcing him to turn on the speed boosts on this play for an easy lay-in.

Lastly, we get a look at the third aspect of his defensive excellence in the final clip above. That term “instinctive” finds its way back into things due to his comfort levels on that end of the floor. If you asked me what Adebayo did best in this game from a specific sense, I would answer perfect weak-side help and solid rotations pretty quickly.

Although he was defending out on the perimeter, he notices Beal in no man’s land at the top as well, resulting in him back-pedaling down without even checking where the offensive player is. He just knows.

As the big turns on Draymond Green, Adebayo mucks things up a bit, forcing a miss, which is a good summary of what these Green-Adebayo lineups are meant to do.

We know what Adebayo can do on the defensive end of the floor, but this time with team USA is about offensive comfort, and it’s pretty clear that he’s gaining that little by little before they even get to Tokyo.

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