Bam Adebayo Received High Praise By Pat Riley

Miami Heat’s center Bam Adebayo recently received huge praise from team president Pat Riley during the All-Star break.

On Friday, Riley told Miami Herald he believes Adebayo could be the next face of the franchise.

“It’s been a blessing to have him,” Riley said. “I go back to [Alonzo Mourning] and Zo was a franchise face and then Dwyane along with Udonis, and now I look at Bam the same way because of longevity. I see Bam here, I hope, for his whole career.”

Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem and Mourning were cornerstones for some of the Heat’s championship teams. Just like Wade and Haslem, Adebayo was drafted by the Heat in the 2017 draft and already has an impressive resume. He’s a two-time All-Star who has been on three All-Defensive teams.

Although he hasn’t won a championship, he has played a huge role in some of the Heat’s playoff runs, particularly in 2020. He averaged a career-high 17 points and was noted for his defensive pressure on centers Giannis Antetokounpo and Daniel Theis.

He is recognized for his defensive presence but he is now having one of his best seasons offensive-wise. With the Heat dealing with injuries, he has picked up the load, averaging a career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds. He has only missed five games this season, the lowest since 2019-20.

Adebayo has recently signed a contract extension with the Heat, locking him in until 2026 but if Riley is in charge, he could stay longer.

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog: https://substack.com/profile/114079068-cory-nelson?utm_source=account-card