The Miami Heat have far exceeded expectations this season. The team went from rebuilding to a legitimate title contender in a very short time.
One of the main reasons for the team’s recent success has been the inspired play of Bam Adebayo. Although the 23-year-old fell short of winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player this year, he’s solely focused on winning a different trophy.
Bam Adebayo, on Heat coming up short in some of the NBA award balloting, "At the end of the day, if we win a trophy, I don't care about MIP. We get a ring."
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) September 11, 2020
The Heat selected Adebayo with the 14th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and seem to have struck gold. Adebayo has quickly become one of the best players in the league at his position and a vital piece to Miami’s championship puzzle.
During the 2019-20 NBA regular season, Adebayo averaged a double-double putting up 15.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while shooting 55.7 percent from the floor.
In nine games during the playoffs thus far, the University of Kentucky product has been as consistent as ever. He’s currently averaging 16.2 points and 11.7 rebounds per contest.
After shocking the world by beating the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in five games, the Heat have advanced to the Eastern Conference finals. Miami will face either the Boston Celtics or Toronto Raptors in what will almost certainly be an entertaining playoff series.
The Celtics and Raptors will go head to head on Friday night in Game 7 of their playoff series. The Heat will take on the winner of the winner-take-all showdown. The schedule for the Eastern Conference finals has yet to be released.