Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo has made his presence felt in the 2023 NBA Finals so far, and his teammate Jimmy Butler couldn’t be more confident in him.
Butler thinks Adebayo is going to be the reason the Heat win the title.
Over the first two games against the Denver Nuggets, Adebayo has averaged 23.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 53.8 percent from the field. He’s been pretty aggressive, taking 25 shots in Game 1 and 14 in Game 2.
Adebayo has made it perfectly clear that he has his sights set on an NBA title, and he’s playing like he wants it. The Heat are three wins away from accomplishing that goal after stealing Game 2 of the series from the Nuggets on the road.
Overall in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, Adebayo has averaged 17.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game on 49.8 percent shooting. He remains a somewhat polarizing player to NBA fans, but if he can help Miami raise a banner this season, his doubters will have no choice but to eat their words.
Butler is never shy about complimenting his teammates, but he certainly deserves his own praise for helping Miami reach this point. The six-time All-Star hasn’t exactly been lighting the world on fire with his recent play, but he certainly was earlier in the postseason, which is one of the only reasons why his squad is still alive today.
Game 3 between the Heat and Nuggets is set for Wednesday. Miami has a chance to take legitimate control of the series over the next two games. If the Heat can protect their home court in Games 3 and 4, they’ll head back to Denver for Game 5 with a 3-1 lead.
If Butler’s stance on Adebayo is correct, the 25-year-old will need to keep the big performances going as the series continues. It’s already been a special season for him since he earned his second All-Star selection, and he now has a chance to make it one that he’ll never forget by helping his team win a championship.
The Heat are trying to raise their first championship banner since 2013.