The Miami Heat have struggled a bit heading into the All-Star break, losing five of their last nine games.
But one of the latest players' social media amusements takes away from that a bit. Bam Adebayo changed his Instagram profile picture, replacing it with a photo of him dunking on his teammate Kel'El Ware against the Washington Wizards. The Heat blew out Washington on Sunday afternoon, as Adebayo and Ware combined for 41 points on 60.7 percent shooting and 22 rebounds.
He's changed it back since then, but it's still hilarious to see.
Adebayo is averaging 20.7 points on 43.5 percent shooting this month, along with 10.5 rebounds. His latest outing was against the New Orleans Pelicans, a gritty victory without several key players. Adebayo had 27 points (13-of-17 from the free-throw line), 14 rebounds, and four blocks. Performances like these establish why he's still in the captain in South Florida.
“He was so rugged tonight," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said in his postgame interview. I think he could’ve four or five more fouls if they had called them with the kind of force he was driving with. That’s what we talked about today. This was by any means necessary. We knew guys were feeling a little fatigued. A lot of our firepower was on the sidelines or not even here in the building. So naturally, we were going to lean on Bam more than we normally do.”
Here were the other takeaways from the Wednesday night victory:
Heat; Dominating the glass: The Heat won the total rebound battle 56-47 by attacking the offensive glass. They grabbed 18 rebounds on that side, which resulted in 24 second-chance points.
Kevon Looney and rookie center Derik Queen combined for 14 rebounds.
Pelicans; Running up and down the court: The Pelicans managed to carve out runs throughout the game by scoring in transition. They finished with 25 fastbreak points to the Heat's 13. The Pelicans are primarily younger, with a few veterans.
Heat; Sixth Man of the Year candidate: Jaime Jaquez Jr. finished the game with 23 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks in 35 minutes off the bench. The third-year forward has been a consistent, reliable reserve for the Heat.
Tyler Herro is the only player to win the Sixth Man of the Year award in franchise history, but Jaquez Jr. is carving out a strong case.
Heat; Another undrafted gem: Myron Gardner continues to make the most of his opportunities. Following the Jazz game, when he only played six total minutes, the two-way rookie finished with eight points, 10 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block in 23 minutes against the Pelicans.
The Heat are back against the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m.