Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo is ready to play alongside former Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Anteotkounmpo
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo is highly anticipating this season for an obvious reason.
He finally gets to team with superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. That became a reality when the Heat traded for the two-time MVP last month during free agency. Adebayo recently spoke about the possibility of playing alongside Antetokounmp, giving the Heat perhaps the best frontcourt in the NBA.
“You look forward to it," Adebayo said, speaking at a charity event. "You look forward to excitement around the season. I feel like Pat has been trying to get somebody of that star level for a while now. Being able to have that shift and that change. We’re looking for growth, we’re looking to obviously win games and have some fun.”
The Heat felt a move was needed after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Even before last season, they were stuck in a rut of being a middle-tier team in the Eastern Conference. The Heat were in the Play-In Tournament in three of the last four seasons. The lone exception was the 2021-21 season when they were the No. 1 seed in the East before losing to the Boston Celtics in the conference finals.
After acquiring Antetokounmpo, the next step is finding at least one more player to help with the offensive load. Even though Adebayo had an 83-point game last season, he doesn't have a reputation as a scorer.
The Heat thought they had a chance of signing LeBron James once he announced he was leaving the Los Angeles Lakers. Instead, James turned down an opportunity to return to Miami, where he won two championships, to play for the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Heat are reportedly interested in bringing in a veteran All-Star, with DeMar DeRozan, Klay Thompson and Bradley Beal among the options. DeRozan, who averaged 18.3 points last year for the Sacramento Kings, is perhaps the best choice. At 36, he is no longer the dominant scorer he was in his prime but could serve as a third option behind Antetokounmpo and Adebayo.
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