Bam Adebayo ‘stretching the floor in a different way.’ What it means for the Heat’s offense

As Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra spoke to reporters following a practice last week, Heat three-time All-Star center Bam Adebayo walked over to stand next to him.

The two stood aligned, and not just because they were shoulder to shoulder. Adebayo and Spoelstra are now aligned on a new layer in the Heat’s offense. They both agree that Adebayo’s improved three-point shot will be an important part of the Heat’s offense moving forward.

“It’s the versatility that is going to help our offense,” Spoelstra said as Adebayo nodded his head in agreement just a few feet away. “Him being able to stretch out to the three and space the floor helps us. His confidence has grown, obviously, shooting the three and also the other aspects of his game are still just as important. So that’s what happens as you grow and take on more responsibilities, more is expected. I really like the spacing, I like him shooting those shots with confidence.”

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Adebayo, 27, turned into a high-volume midrange shot taker in recent seasons. But there’s a push internally for Adebayo to produce a more efficient shot chart this season, meaning fewer two-point attempts outside of the paint and more threes/shots at the rim.

Adebayo began that process late last season when he shot 14 of 28 (50 percent) from three-point range during his final 17 regular-season games after shooting just 1 of 14 (7.1 percent) on threes through his first 54 appearances. He closed last regular season with career highs in three-point makes (15) and three-point attempts (42).

“It’s just a new element to my game,” Adebayo said before the Heat played its fourth of five exhibition games on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks at Kaseya Center (7:30 p.m., Bally Sports Sun) on the second night of a preseason back-to-back set. “I can still get to the elbow when we need one, five seconds or less. But for us to try to grow this game, grow our success, it’s better for me to space the floor.”

Adebayo’s offensive evolution was on display in Tuesday night’s 120-117 preseason victory against the San Antonio Spurs at Kaseya Center on the front end of the back-to-back. Adebayo finished the win with a team-high 20 points to go with three rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks in 23 minutes.

But it’s the way that Adebayo scored those points that stood out, as he shot 2 of 3 from three-point range, 3 of 5 in the paint and 6 of 9 from the foul line on Tuesday. One of his three-point makes was a catch-and-shoot look from the corner and the other was a pull-up three in semi-transition.

“It was all of it,” Spoelstra said of Adebayo’s offensive performance in Tuesday’s exhibition against the Spurs. “The facilitating, too. Being able to draw fouls, that’s so key. Finding those in-the-gap plays, cutting behind the defense or just going into an open space. Those are big, they’re momentum-shifting plays. Playing off the ball a little bit, setting screens for us and then, yes, spacing the floor. That’s probably the only thing people notice. I’m seeing all the other parts of his game continue to grow and that’s needed for our team.”

But it’s hard not to notice and focus on Adebayo’s three-point shot. After all, he entered Wednesday’s exhibition matchup against the Hawks tied with Heat sharpshooters Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson for the most three-point makes on the team this preseason (four) after beginning last season with just eight three-point makes through the first six regular seasons of his NBA career.

Adebayo, who is 4 of 10 from three-point range in the Heat’s first three preseason games, even has opposing coaches talking about his outside shot.

“He’s more confident offensively, for sure,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who coached Adebayo with Team USA during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. “He feels better about his jump shot. He’s shooting a couple of threes now. That’s the main thing. But everything else is steady as hell. He’s going to be a worker, he’s going to rebound, he’s going to move and cut, he’s a team player. All of that’s the same. It’s just offensively, more confident and a little bit more breadth to his game.”

Heat players have already noticed a difference in the team’s offensive spacing this preseason with Adebayo standing behind the three-point line instead of around the paint. This has allowed the Heat to use a five-out style more often, with all five players spaced beyond the arc to keep the paint empty.

“I think there were a couple possessions where he flared tonight, and I was able to play out of a closeout, I got to the rim and there was no big there because Bam is stretching the floor in a different way,” Herro said after Tuesday’s preseason win over the Spurs. “So I think just opening up the paint. If we have two guys down there, two plus two with a guy on them is four, so that’s just a lot of people in the paint. With Bam and Jimmy spacing and shooting threes, it’s just going to allow driving lanes for each other.”

But even during Adebayo’s three-point surge late last regular season, he averaged fewer than two three-point attempts per game.

How many three-pointers will Adebayo put up this season? That remains to be seen, but Adebayo and Spoelstra agree that this new wrinkle is now a key component of the Heat’s offense.

“His confidence is only going to grow from here,” Spoelstra said. “Look, some games, it will be five to seven [three-point] attempts. Some games, it might only be two. But the fact that he’s feeling more comfortable out there just helps the versatility and the diversity of our offense.”