Getty Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat looks on against the Charlotte Hornets.
Just ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season, the Miami Heat extended their rising star Tyler Herro with a four-year $130 million contract extension. Udonis Haslem also passed the torch as the bearer of Heat culture to Bam Adebayo for years to come. The two young stars have effectively been named the Heat’s successors for the next generation of Heat culture. After re-signing for his twentieth NBA season, Haslem shared his goals for how he wants to leave the Heat.
“I want to pass the torch to Bam [Adebayo] as the next bearer of the culture,” Haslem told ESPN’s, Israel Gutierrez. “I want to continue to mold and help Jimmy be the champion that he deserves to be. And I just want to leave this locker room headed in the right direction.”
Bam Adebayo on Relationship with Tyler Herro
Key to the Miami locker room staying moving in the right direction is the progression of their future duo of Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. Adebayo recently spoke with the media about the chemistry that he has with Herro.
“Talking to him on the bus, being next to him on the plane, I feel like that’s what’s really building the connection. It’s not just going in there and getting better on the court. But off the court, developing a brotherhood,” Adebayo said of his relationship with Tyler Herro.
Herro has joined Adebayo in the starting lineup this season after signing his long-term extension. So far this season, as a member of the starting lineup Herro has averaged 18.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. One of the recent developments to Herro’s game is his passing. The guard had his first triple-double of the season on November 27.
Bam Adebayo Offensive Challenge This Season
Prior to the 2022-23 NBA season, the Heat issued Adebayo a challenge to be more aggressive offensively. Jimmy Butler talked about the challenge in his comments on Heat media day.
“We know he knows we want him to score more; we want him to be aggressive. He can do it, and he’s going to — He always is and always will be the engine, the key part on both ends of the floor. So we’re going where Bam takes us,” Butler said.
Adebayo has also challenged himself offensively this season.
“I’m going to try to get it up this year,” said Adebayo. “I feel like we’re a lot better team when I’m scoring the basketball.”
When asked about the total amount of shots that he will get up Adebayo said he is trying to get to 18 shots per game in comparison to the 15 shots he put up in each outing last season. Adebayo shot over 55% from the field last season, and adding shots can likely help take the burden off of Butler and elevate the Heat to another level next season after almost every team in the Eastern Conference got better this offseason.
Bam Adebayo Has Been ‘Mr. Reliable’ This Season
The challenge has been beneficial for the Heat as Adebayo has been great offensively this year. So great that head coach Erik Spoelstra gave the big man a new nickname after his 38-point performance against the Washington Wizards on November 25.
“Bam was Mr. Reliable,” Spoelstra said via Ira Winderman of South Florida’s Sun Sentinel. “He has been Mr. Reliable all season long, through all of the adversity. He’s the guy that we’ve just been able to count on, with his mental stability, his consistency, his leadership, and then also his play on both ends of the court.
“I think at some point, I’ll print up the shirt, ‘Mr. Reliable’ and I’ll wear them proudly.”