MIAMI – In another time, in another age, Bam Adebayo would give in at a moment like this. If the shots didn’t fall, they would stop.
“In previous years,” the Miami Heat big man said, “I would have gone into my shell, saying, ‘I’m just going to play defense tonight.’ »
But now is not the time, his team is waiting and needs more.
In that regard, Adebayo’s recent inconsistent play mirrors that of the Heat.
After a streak of 11 wins in 14 games, the Heat have now lost three in a row, as they turn their attention to Wednesday night’s NBA Finals rematch, when the Denver Nuggets make their only visit of the season . In those three games, Adebayo is not only 2-of-16 on shots from away from the rim, but 9-of-18 from the foul line over the last three.
So, yeah, an undeniable tough time in what was once an All-Star season.
“It certainly is, man,” Adebayo said following Sunday night’s 110-108 loss to the lowly Washington Wizards at the Kaseya Center. “I will have ups and downs during the season. But that’s part of it. If you let it, it will break you.
“So for me, man, I’m still aggressive, I’m still taking the shots that I usually take, I’m still in the paint, I’m still aggressive.”
It made for something of a rebound Sunday night, with 16 points and 16 rebounds, an effort that saw him go 7 of 14 from the field but just 2 of 6 from the foul line.
But even those numbers were somewhat skewed, with eight of those points and eight of those rebounds coming in the first quarter. With the game hanging in the balance in the deciding fourth quarter, he went scoreless in 8:16, attempting only one shot.
Part of the recent malaise has been because defenses have been packing the paint, essentially daring Adebayo and Jimmy Butler to beat them from the perimeter, defenses willing to take their chances against anyone but those two.
“It’s just something we have to adapt to,” Adebayo said. “Go into the film room, watch and see how we can correct this. And get into a bigger flow. When you start to see that same type of defense, we start to get into a flow, you start to jump passes, you start to see guys cutting the backdoor.
“Because when you get all that attention, obviously guys are looking at the ball sometimes. So for you, as an offensive player, you have to make plays.
Still, it’s not like Adebayo wavered from the moment, as the Heat have recently played games in the injury absence of Tyler Herro and Kevin Love. His 14 shots Sunday and his six free throws again showed aggression, at least early in the game.
“It’s funny,” he said, “because for years they were always like, ‘Why don’t you just keep shooting?’ Now we’re talking about my crisis.
“So it’s just about finding my rhythm. Get him back and I feel like we’ll be in good shape.
So take stock, then move on.
“Keep shooting. I mean, that’s the easiest way, is to keep shooting,” he said. “And obviously my teammates and the coaching staff give me confidence to keep shooting, to be aggressive.
“So for me, man, it’s just taking a step in the right direction by continuing to be aggressive.”
While stepping up his role as captain and also demanding more from others.
“We definitely had a lot of defensive lapses,” he said of Sunday’s defeat against a team that entered 10-53, “simply not paying attention to the recruiter or simply forgetting that certain guys have certain tendencies. And it cost us.
“We can’t let games like this affect us. We gave up on this game.
