WILTON MANORS, Fla. _ Add Chris Bosh to the list of those who have high expectations for Heat center Bam Adebayo.
With the 22-year-old Adebayo expected to take on a bigger role this season as the Heat's starting center after Hassan Whiteside was traded to the Trail Blazers, Bosh said Tuesday after filming a video for CarMax that he believes Adebayo has a special skill set. Now, it's on Adebayo to make the most of it.
"In my opinion, I think he can be one of the best big men in the league," said the 35-year-old Bosh, who had his No. 1 jersey retired by the Heat during a halftime ceremony of a home game last season. "I think he'll have to kind of want to do that. He has the make up if he wants to really go for it on his own. But as far as raw talent, he's very talented. He's got to work on his skill and his technique.
"I think the basics will be great for him. And, really, just the hunger to win _ the hard part, just playing every night, doing the actual job of being a professional basketball player. It's not for everybody. But with that being said, I think he has a tremendous upside and eventually, as he develops, I think he's going to see where he can take it _ if he wants to take it there."
Adebayo, who is entering his third NBA season, averaged 8.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 23.3 minutes while playing in all 82 of the Heat's games last season. Miami announced earlier this month its decision to exercise the fourth-year team option on Adebayo's rookie-scale contract, which locks him into a $5.1 million salary for 2020-21 after he earns $3.5 million this upcoming season.
Even with Whiteside on the roster last season, Adebayo started in 22 of the Heat's final 23 games. Adebayo averaged 11.6 points on 59.7% shooting, 9.1 rebounds, three assists, 1.1 steals, and one block in that 23-game span, and Miami outscored opponents by 45 points in that time.
When asked if Adebayo can expand his offensive skill set over time, Bosh didn't hesitate with his answer.
"Spo let him bring the ball up. I saw that last year," Bosh said. "I was like, 'Man, you got mad when I brought the ball up.' He has got the whole package. He can dribble. He can shoot. Now is just about he's rough around the edges. Now it's just about refining what he has and adding other things. But that's his decision. He has to do all those things. I just tell him what I see."
_ When Juwan Howard left his role as a Heat assistant coach to become the head coach at the University of Michigan this offseason, Bosh said he never looked at it as his opportunity to join Erik Spoelstra's coaching staff. Coaching in the NBA doesn't interest Bosh at the moment.
"They started talking and I said, 'Got to go guys," Bosh said with a laugh. "To be honest with you, I did that life. It's behind me and I always tell the guys like, 'Man, you guys are making way more money than me, so what am I gonna tell you?' To be a professional athlete, I'm not going to step in the arena with those guys.
"This is a very serious business, especially if you've got your hands on it and you're on the ground every single day. But, nah, I've had enough of the thrill, you know what I mean, and just the daily trying to pull the best out of guys. I do that off the court. On the court, I'd rather do something totally different, and then maybe later I can come back and see what's there.
"But I'm around. I love basketball. I told the guys I'd be around. And, you know, they just help me stay in shape and keep my mind just going. I go in the office, talk to Spo, talk about offense, what he's thinking, talk about kids, with all his kids and all mine. I go to the film room, see the guys, It's like Cheers. I'm not going to bartend, but I come in, talk a little bit, 'Hey Chris, hey,' and I'm out of here."
_ How will Jimmy Butler and his competitive personality fit in with the Heat? Bosh described it as a "give and take."
"They have to learn him. He has to learn them," Bosh said. "But tension is good. Healthy tension is good. And I think Jimmy brings that. That's one of the points I always like to make when I say 'tension,' because people take that as a bad thing. People might take that as a bad thing, but sometimes locker-room tension is good, and a healthy dose of it, of team tension, is good, because you have to perform.
"That's one of the things about the Heat _ you're out there, you got to win. It doesn't matter. It's a championship culture that they've built. And that's not always the easiest environment to be in, because there's always the want to be better. There's always the drive. Spo wants to be good. He wants them to be in shape. He wants to go now. Pat, he wanted to go 10 years ago. It's just a different dynamic. And they're going to have to learn one another. But it's healthy tension. I think the tension he's going to bring is the want to win. And then to win, hopefully that'll propel them."
The Heat will hold Butler's introductory press conference Friday afternoon at AmericanAirlines Arena. Miami's annual media day is Monday at the arena before it opens camp at Keiser University in West Palm Beach on Tuesday.
