Bam Adebayo’s position has been a topic of controversy, but the Miami Heat superstar has cleared all doubts.
With Jimmy Butler’s future in South Beach in doubt, Bam Adebayo could soon find himself as the face of the Miami Heat. The franchise showed their trust in him by handing him a three-year, $166 million extension this summer.
For a player so integral to Erik Spoelstra’s team, there has certainly been quite a bit of discussion about his position, especially after the Heat drafted Kel’el Ware with the 15th pick.
Ware impressed immensely during the Summer League and is being considered by many as a dark horse in the Rookie of the Year race.
Also, there have been suggestions that Ware could be brought into the team to allow Adebayo to play at power forward.
That is a topic that has done the rounds for a long time. Some believe that Adebayo would be better as a power forward. Others would like to see him remain at center.
One person who does not seem to be too bothered about his position though is Adebayo himself. While speaking to Shandel Richardson of Sports Illustrated, he said: “It’s position-less to me.
“I don’t really put myself in a box, `I’ve got to play the four, I’ve got to play the five.’ You go game by game. One minute, Kel’el might be out there with me. It might be some stints I might be out there by myself. It all depends on the flow of the game, pace of the game and who we’re playing.”
So, it looks like Adebayo does not really have a preference. He is open to playing whichever role helps the team the most. In the modern game, positions are a lot more flexible anyway.
It will also be interesting to see how Ware develops over the course of his rookie season. He might have done well in the Summer League but it will be a whole different ball game when the regular season starts.
Ware’s size does give the Heat something that they were missing last season. Do not be surprised if we see him and Adebayo share the court a decent bit next season.
