It’s Bam Adebayo’s Time to Be the Face of the Franchise

For the 2021-22 season, Miami should focus their attention on passing the torch to the face of the franchise.

We often find ourselves looking around for something that was in front of us the whole time. Sometimes it’s finding the special someone you had only seen as just a friend. That sudden realization can act as a catalyst for a better life than the one you were clawing your way through. The hardest part is arriving at that “aha” moment sooner rather than later. For the Miami Heat this upcoming season, it’s time to look at the star-in-the-making they have in front of them and turn the keys completely over to Bam Adebayo.

In the past handful of seasons, the fans and the team have been privileged to watch their late lottery pick improve in numerous ways to the player he is now. Bam has gone from a rim running big with some impressive defense into an All-Star big man perfect for the modern NBA. But those seasons have been as either the passenger of a team belonging to a Dwyane Wade in his twilight or to Jimmy Butler. Bam Adebayo has never truly felt like the team was his to take. Who would blame him? Wade, a literal Heat legend, was in his final days with Miami, and Adebayo was a young raw center still finding his way. Jimmy Butler was the max acquisition looking to take the team back to the NBA Finals.

That’s not really Bam or the team’s fault, seeing as no one expected the jump a late lottery pick made in the past few seasons. We really do forget that Bam was playing as a backup for his entire first 2 seasons and had a limited role that barely showcased his inevitable talents. This is another problem I have with Heat fans who forget just how far the guy has come from his rookie season when he was as raw as prospects can be.

Not only was Bam playing as their support but dealing with the constant talk of another possible superstar joining the Heat. It was constant talk of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s then-impending Free Agency or the James Harden rumors last season. That can give off the idea to some players that they aren’t enough for winning a title, especially when you helped lead them to the Finals just a season ago. I’m not saying this got to Bam, but I can see why this would help affirm his passenger status.

But now the rumors are done with, and Miami is no longer looking for the next whale. They signed Adebayo to his max deal last offseason and have surrounded him and Jimmy Butler with win-now guys. No longer are they thinking about the “pipe dream” player who might not arrive. They started to look at the unicorn in front of them. One of the few players in the league who can do what he does on a nightly basis. The same player who was able to hold Giannis Antetokounmpo to 4-15 shooting in the first round while the rest of his playoff opponents scrambled to keep the Finals MVP in check. The Heat are on their way to make him the face and force of the franchise.

For players like Bam Adebayo, who may have a tougher time with that final push of being “number one,” it’s important to give him as much of the wheel as possible. Adebayo is more wired the same way a guy like Chris Bosh was, where he was more than willing to play support for the team’s betterment. Recently in a wonderful piece by Michael C. Wright, it was revealed that Bosh had this type of mentality dating back to when he wasn’t even considered the number one guy in High School.

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It took Bosh a while to realize what he could do once he did have to lead a team himself. Bosh even recently talked with the Miami Herald about what advice he’d give the young All-Star big man. “Shoot it. That’s it. Shoot it. That’s all he needs to do is shoot it, I’m telling you. I did it for 13 years in the league, man, and it never steered me wrong.” He’d go on to say, “it’s wonderful that he’s a team player. But for him to get to where he wants to go, he’s going to have to shoot the ball.” Coming from a player like Chris Bosh, who knows a thing or two about alternating from sacrificing for the good of the team and knowing when to become the head of the household.

I’m sure this isn’t anything Bam Adebayo hasn’t heard before or won’t hear again. And it’s not as simple as taking more jumpers will improve his game and the team’s chances overnight. It’s way more complicated than that. Heat fans need to realize it wasn’t that long ago when Adebayo wasn’t taking any shot outside the paint. He went from that shot being a non-factor into shooting the same % on similar attempts from midrange as guys like Jayson Tatum. As a collective fanbase, we have not put into proper perspective the improvements he’s made since he entered the league.

Every summer, Bam has come back with something else in his arsenal that, for some reason, we fail to recognize with proper appreciation. Adebayo has constantly shown that he’s more than capable of adding weapons and new tools to his belt. Players with the type of mentality and skill to get better year after year the way he has should not be taken for granted.

Now another offseason will shortly come to an end, and we’ll have the next phase of Bam Adebayo to look forward to. This chapter should be even more fun to see because it will undoubtedly be Bam Adebayo’s time to shine. I think he’ll finally have that sense of being the conductor leading the train. Bam has always been compared to Kevin Garnett for a bit, and you can see why when you look at the numbers. Their season-by-season numbers look virtually identical from seasons 3 and 4. The difference is that Kevin Garnett had room to spread his wings and was an undoubted face of a franchise from day one.

Now it’s Bam Adebayo’s time to get that proper label of Face of the Franchise. Kyle Lowry will be there to push him further along on that trajectory everyone knows he’s destined for. Jimmy Butler won’t be far behind as he’s constantly referred to Bam as their most important player. Lowry and Adebayo’s two-man game will develop as their Dribble Handoffs flow smoothly into pick and rolls. The vertical threat of Bam, along with Kyle’s pull-up 3 pointer game, will be a treat to the eyes like a summer sunset. All of this will have Bam in so many more positions to succeed than ever before. The effect this will have for Bam cannot be understated. People can talk about Adebayo needing to be more aggressive, but the system has to play to his strengths to transition into this next phase of his career.

So while taking more shots is something I’ll also be keeping an eye on, don’t forget what type of shots they’ll be and how much easier they’ll come for him. The jumper will be there, and he might even stretch it further out to the 3 point line for all we know. Why would that surprise anyone if he did that? Did everyone expect him to come back from the 2020 season pause with a midrange jumper for the Bubble Playoffs? The guy never stops improving, and who’s to say that he won’t be pulling up from the top of the key soon.

Everything is lining up for the beginning of Bam’s true ascension. The Heat looks as if they realize that it’s time. And maybe I’m just naive in thinking this; if so, the organization needs to wake up and smell the roses. This is your new Dwayne Wade. Stop having Dwayne Wade jerseys on the front page over Bam Adebayo ones. Tyler Herro isn’t the young Kentucky late lottery pick to push on everyone. Please don’t wait until the final 2 weeks of the season to push for his Defensive Player of the Year candidacy (especially this year when I think he has a shot of leading a top 3 defense to where this will be a real possibility). Bam Adebayo is your franchise — let everyone, including Bam, know. When you instill the power to someone on his upward trajectory like Bam Adebayo, it’s only a matter of time before you reap the rewards.

The star you were waiting to add to the roster the past 2 seasons is right in front of you, ready to take his next step. The heir to the Dwayne Wade throne is ready for his crown. Everyone is ready for the next page of this team’s story to be led by Bam. Hand over the keys to your franchise and watch him drive you into the future full throttle. Bam’s ready, and we’re all ready to witness it.