For the first time all season, Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo attempted a shot from 3-point range on Saturday.
It wasn’t a typical 3-point shot, however. It was a full-court heave.
Wizards up 3 win the game as Jimmy Butler missed a 3 at the buzzer. But wait, Scott Foster says game isn’t over. Calls a foul on PJ Tucker on rebound with 0.6 seconds left.
Kyle Kuzma misses both FT’s and Bam Adebayo almost ties it with a full court shot.
What a weird ending. pic.twitter.com/bSEoelusRS
— Hoop Informatics 🏀📊🎥 (@HoopInformatics) November 21, 2021
Although it was close, the shot missed.
No one expects Adebayo to knock down shots like those, but some folks do want to see the 24-year-old become a threat from beyond the arc. It’s something that a good portion of Heat fans feel will take his game to the next level.
Adebayo doesn’t like talking about it, however. He recently explained that it’s “annoying” how often he gets asked about adding a 3-point shot to his arsenal.
“I feel like it’s annoying that people keep asking me that,” Adebayo said to the Miami Herald. “I feel like just let me grow as a player. Everybody is trying to tell somebody what to do, and a lot of people have never been in my seat and [Erik Spoelstra’s] seat. A lot of people try to tell you what you need to do, what you need to change, this, that and the third. But they’ve never been in this situation.”
Adebayo is in his fifth season at the NBA level. He has never finished a year with an average above 0.2 3-point attempts per game.
Perhaps Adebayo will become a threat from beyond the arc down the road, but it doesn’t seem like he’s in any rush to get there. Even without a consistent 3-point shot, he’s one of the league’s best young players.
The one-time All-Star is averaging 19.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game so far this season. He has had a major hand in Miami’s 11-6 start to the 2021-22 campaign.
