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Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
2023-24 stats and accolades: 19.3 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 3.9 apg, 0.9 bpg, 52.1 FG%, All-Star, 3rd in Defensive Player of the Year voting
2024-25 stats: 17.5 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 4.3 apg, 0.7 bpg, 48.7 FG%
After choosing not to extend six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler last summer, this Miami Heat season was a ticking timebomb from the start. And we all know how that story ended by now, as Butler eventually demanded a trade and got his wish, leaving behind Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro to be the team’s alphas.
It hasn’t gone well for Miami.
Specifically, Adebayo, who is blessed with loads of talent and versatility but is perhaps lacking in the confidence to be a team’s No. 1 option on offense, has seen a regression in his play this campaign.
Adebayo’s BPM has dropped from 2.4 last season to 1.5 this year while his WS/48 has gone from 0.144 to 0.127. Perhaps the Olympics are in part to blame for Adebayo’s early-season struggles, which have weighed down his overall averages for 2024-25, but there’s no question the talented big man has struggled on offense in the absence of Butler.
Adebayo himself said recently that he’s going through growing pains due to the fact that it’s never been just him and Herro leading a team before (via the Miami Herald):
Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro are two of the longest tenured Miami Heat players on the roster. But even Adebayo and Herro are going through an adjustment period after the departure of Jimmy Butler. Instead of leading on and off the court alongside Butler as a trio, Adebayo and Herro are now a leading duo after the Heat traded the disgruntled Butler to the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 6. “It’s growing pains for us,” Adebayo said. “This is the first situation that’s it has really been just me and Tyler. I mean, obviously, the addition of [Andrew Wiggins], but we’re still trying to get Wiggs comfortable to where he can be fully himself. Right now, we’re keeping it simple for him and just kind of getting out of his way. But for me and Tyler, it’s more so understanding that we know how hard it is to win in this league. You can never take that for granted.”
Miami is 28-39 at the moment and has lost seven games in a row.
Adebayo’s biggest dip has been in his efficiency as a short midrange shooter, which used to be his sweet spot. Last season, the former Kentucky standout shot 51.5 percent from between three and 10 feet of the basket. This campaign, that number is down to 45.2 percent.
Considering Adebayo is undersized and often needs to pull up from the short midrange to score over bigger centers, that dip in production from that area has been quite harmful to his offense in 2024-25.
Perhaps going into 2025-26 knowing he’ll need to handle a huge part of Miami’s offensive load will help Adebayo bounce back next season.
For the latest Bam Adebayo rumors and salary contract information, click here.
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