NBA Realities

Miami Heat Center Bam Adebayo has had a rough start to the first 20 games of the 2024-25 season. He is averaging 15.6 points and shooting a career-low 42.9% on 13.8 attempts per game.

Adebayo’s struggles are due to a sharp decline in his paint-shooting percentage. He is shooting 47.4% on 9.5 attempts per game, 7.1% lower than his first 20 games of last season.  Bam Adebayo stated on December 3rd that he could not pinpoint the reason for his struggles.

Everybody is not going to have a great game every game. It is what it is,” said Adebayo, who has shot better than 50 percent from the field in each of the first seven seasons of his NBA career prior to this season. “For me, it’s not losing confidence in who I am. It’s not overthinking the game too much because then you’ll start making other mistakes. It’s one of those things where I’m just missing shots. I don’t really look at it any more than that. I feel like at some point, the shots are going to turn around and it’s up from there.”

Bam Adebayo’s routine

However, Bam Adebayo’s shooting struggles are connected to his decision to play for Team USA in the Olympics. He normally plays basketball for 7-9 months in the year before entering the offseason. In 2019, Adebayo stated that he spent his offseason in Miami working on his body and playing in ProAm games.   

I just wanted to stay in Miami because I wanted to hit the ground running. A lot of people are saying this is a big year for me. I didn’t want to go into this year being unprepared. I didn’t want to go into the year not having my body right, not having my nutrition right. I honed in on that. The Miami Pro League was like the cake on top. I get to play pick-up ball. I get to showcase what I’ve been doing in the gym a little bit. I get to go out there and have fun and put on a show for the community.

Adebayo continues to spend his offseason in Florida, playing in the Miami Pro League during 2023. According to NBA.com, this ProAM league plays games twice a week in July and early August.

 Bam Adebayo changed his offseason routine to play for Team USA in the Olympics this past summer. He reported to Team USA training camp on July 5th. Over the next 36 days, he played in 5 exhibitions and 6 Olympic games. During the Olympics, he averaged 16.6 minutes per game.

At first glance, Bam’s minutes load is not a big deal, but playing in the Olympics has negatively affected him. On November 29th, 2021, Bam suffered a torn UCL in his right thumb, forcing him to miss 21 games.

The injury occurred three months after he played in the 2021 Olympics. The routine change has continued to put extra wear and tear on Bam’s body. Due to decreased lift this season, he is missing good looks around the basket. 

For example, Bam Adebayo set a screen for Tyler Herro at the three-point line with 11:48 remaining in the third quarter against the Suns on November 6th. After Tyler went over the screen, Bam ran to the basket to be in position for a lob or offensive rebound.

Herro threw him a lob, but Adebayo didn’t get enough high on the jump, causing him to miss the shot.  Adebayo can lessen the adverse effects of playing in the Olympics by participating in more FIBA tournaments. 

Team USA

Unfortunately, American players don’t feel the obligation to play in consecutive FIBA tournaments due to the country’s wealth of talent. Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton were the only two players on the 2023 FIBA World Cup and Olympic rosters. 

As a result, American players can’t get their bodies used to the additional games, leading to more fatigue or wear and tear. For example, Josh Hart averaged 18 minutes per game during 8 outings in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Hart stated on January 18th that  participating in the World Cup led to developing knee soreness earlier during the 2023-24 season.

“Josh Hart says he has experience dealing with knee soreness similar to what he’s currently feeling. It usually hits around Game 50/55 and then he rests during All Star break. This year is different because he played two rounds in the playoffs last season and then played with Team USA in the FIBA World Cup. “Every (previous) year, I was on vacation April 13th (and had) …. two and a half months that my body normally has to recover and strengthen. Um, I can do all that. This year is going to be a consistent battle of trying to have maintenance and just get me through.” Hart is confident that he can navigate the knee soreness.”       

Hart ended up posting his worst statistics since the 2018-19 season. He averaged 9.4 points, shooting 43.4% on 8.4 attempts. The adverse effects of playing for Team USA are behind Adebayo’s struggles.