Question: How does Heat’s Bam Adebayo plan to break out of shooting slump? ‘Keep shooting’
Miami Heat All-Star center Bam Adebayo has gone through shooting slumps before, but he’s handling this one differently.
While Adebayo’s double-double stat line of 16 points and 16 rebounds in Sunday night’s 110-108 home loss to the Washington Wizards is impressive on the surface, his shooting struggles continued. He shot just 1 of 5 (20 percent) on non-rim paint shots and 2 of 6 (33.3 percent) from the foul line in the defeat.
Heat’s ‘harrowing ride’ hits another bump after ugly loss to Wizards: ‘This one is painful’
Through the past three games, Adebayo is shooting 13 of 37 (35.1 percent) from the field, 2 of 16 (12.5 percent) on non-rim paint shots and 9 of 18 (50 percent) from the free-throw line.
Those marks are well below Adebayo’s season percentages of 50.8 percent shooting from the field, 49.1 percent shooting on non-rim paint shots and 76.1 percent shooting from the foul line.
But instead of taking fewer shots like he might have done in a similar situation in the past, Adebayo is going to try to get through this shooting drought by staying aggressive.
“Keep shooting,” Adebayo said of how he plans to break out of his shooting slump entering Wednesday’s NBA Finals rematch against the Denver Nuggets at Kaseya Center. “That’s the easiest way, just keep shooting. Obviously, my teammates and the coaching staff give me confidence to keep shooting and be aggressive. In earlier years, I would have went in my shell and been like I’m just going to play defense tonight. So for me, it’s just taking a step in the right direction by staying aggressive.”
This stretch of inefficiency is different than this experienced and All-Star version of Adebayo has ever faced, though. The last time he went through a three-game stretch shooting 35.1 percent or worse from the field and 50 percent or worse from the foul came in 2018 during his second NBA season.
“I’m going to have ups and downs in a season,” Adebayo, 26, said. “It’s part of it. If you let it, it will break you. So for me, man, still being aggressive, still taking the shots that I usually take, still getting in the paint, still being aggressive.”
Adebayo then reflected on the growth he’s made in dealing with shooting struggles during his NBA career.
“It’s funny because years ago, y’all would have been like, ‘Why don’t you keep shooting?’” Adebayo said. “Now we’re talking about me being in a slump. So it’s just finding my rhythm. Get that back and I feel like we’ll be in good shape after.”
Adebayo, a three-time NBA All-Star, is still one of only five players averaging at least 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists per game this season, along with Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis.
It’s not a coincidence that Adebayo’s latest shooting slump has come against three teams that have made him a big part of their defensive game plans, sending double teams and clogging the paint against him and Heat co-star Jimmy Butler.
“It’s just something we got to adjust to,” Adebayo said. “Get in the film room, see how we can correct it and get more of a flow. When you start to see that same type of defense, we start to get in a flow, you start seeing skip passes, you start seeing the guys who cut back door. Because when you collect all that attention, obviously some guys are ball watching. For you as the offensive player, you got to make plays.”
Heat guard Patty Mills played in his second straight game Sunday after signing with the Heat for the rest of the season last week.
Mills, a 35-year-old veteran, finished Sunday’s loss to the Wizards with seven points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field and 1-of-4 shooting on threes in 14 minutes off the Heat’s bench.
