A new acquaintance has joined Bam Adebayo. The question is whether Erik Spoelstra will let him continue developing that connection.
Spoelstra gave in on Sunday night’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, putting rookie big man Nikola Jovic and Adebayo in his power rotation. With few alternatives left after a wave of ailments ravaged the Miami Heat on this four-game trip.
It had a good beginning. It then quickly went downhill, much like the remainder of the Heat’s night in the 113-87 defeat at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
As the Heat focused on Monday night’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center, Adebayo noted, “The kid is young, and this is our first time being on the court together.” Therefore, as time goes on, we’ll improve, and he’ll learn to choose his cutting locations and proclivities.
That is if time passes.
Adebayo-Jovic was likewise terminated by Spoelstra very quickly, at least while Sunday’s game was still close.
The Heat’s 19-year-old rookie still has a steep learning curve, as point guard Kyle Lowry said, and Jovic will need to put some of his instincts on hold to defer to the team’s former All-Star center.
Nikola must continue to play on the wings, suggested Lowry. Bam must be our roller, I say. Nikola is a proficient shooter. He’s our guy, Bam. He excels in the paint, where he rolls, kicks out and gets layups. That’s what I interpret it to mean, but we must adjust the spacing slightly.
“Nikola, he sliced in one of his possessions. You’ll get a wide-open shot if you stay wide, child. We’ll get it done once Bam and I cause two or three of them to collapse.
Due to the absences of Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and Gabe Vincent due to injuries, Caleb Martin was switched from power forward to small forward on Sunday, marking the first time Adebayo and Jovic have played together in the regular season. Jokic took over at center for Adebayo, who missed the previous two games against the Toronto Raptors and the Washington Wizards due to a bruised knee.
Jovic, a small 205 pounds at 6-foot-11, said of the Adebayo pairing, “It was reasonably fantastic, especially when I was playing at the four. That was after I played five. Bam is a huge man who will rebound for us, so I was there only to assist him. We started exceptionally well.
Reps are the only way to improve, according to Adebayo.
When Butler and Herro return, it still must be evident whether Spoelstra has enough faith in Jovic to play a rotational role.
The two combined for 17 minutes on Sunday, recording a net rating of 12.5.
Of course, the Heat essentially loses money when Butler and Herro are absent.
According to Adebayo, he’ll begin to understand when he should and shouldn’t cut. “And from there, we’ll form a line.”
Adebayo claimed to have observed Jovic start two games in his place and believes something remarkable is emerging.
“The child can go, I mean. He can play,” remarked Adebayo. “There’s no denying it. Keep increasing those reps and keeping an eye on him; we need to get him to talk more. His next move is to do it. The sky is the limit for him if you keep doing that.
But will it follow Adebayo?
Adebayo remarked, “I feel like we can feed off each other with two passing bigs. “As you can see, he’s demonstrating that he can fit through gaps and observe things. Having two passable, versatile players on the field improves our offense.
However, Spoelstra likes to give more importance to the opposing side of the court.
Jovic acknowledges that he is a novice and must defer, but he still sees the possibilities.
Jovic added, “I can help him make those easy buckets when Bam is beneath the hoop, and I’m the one creating the screen, and I have to pass on the short roll. I can aid in his recovery because I’m big and tall.