Bam’s Breakout, Why It is so Unusual, and League Implications
Alex Fry
Staff Writer
In perhaps the most shocking individual performance in modern NBA history, Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo erupted with 83 points out of nowhere, the second-most in NBA history, eclipsing Kobe Bryant’s “untouchable” record of 81 points. Two weeks removed from the performance, the question that is still echoing is one word: how? What possessed this man who averages 18 points a game to suddenly score 83 in a game? And why is this so unusual? How, out of all the superstars in the league that it could have been, was Bam Adebayo the one to finally outscore Bryant? The answer boils down to three points: he attempted more free throws in one game than anyone else has, kept an insanely consistent pace throughout the game after starting off with an already historic 31 points in the first quarter, as well as controversial sportsmanship and strategy by Erik Spoelstra.
Free Throws
Free throws have been arguably the most polarizing topic of the NBA. “Foul baiting” is becoming an ever-worsening issue in the league, and what is even considered a foul feels foggy even just watching the game. The star player call has always been an issue, like when James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo were at their best, and now with players like Jalen Brunson and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander last season. The question is about how Bam Adebayo – a player who shoots a relatively small amount of free throws for an all-star caliber player – was able to draw the most free throw attempts and drain the most of them all of the sudden. Surprisingly, the vast majority of the whistles called were accurate. While inflammatory views of the NBA like to point to instances of shameless foul baiting from players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic, this is not the league wide case. After watching the foul-lights, it’s safe to say Adebayo was getting hacked at all night. After the first quarter he had already put himself in the history books, and the Washington Wizards reacted by only increasing the pressure of their defense on Bam, which naturally led to more contact. Like most games, there were a couple calls that were not perfect, and it can be argued that Bam was actively trying to initiate these foul, but by the league’s rules, the free throws were warranted.
However, the implications of a 43 FTA performance remains interesting. With the mounting criticism against the league’s rules, this puts another straw on the camel’s back for the NBA to act against the monster of the “free throw epidemic” and perceived inconsistency of officiating.
The Perfect Storm of External Factors
Regardless of how it was done and the circumstances around him, Adebayo’s performance is nothing but absurd. But, outside of what was in his control, there were a number of influences that set the stage for Bam’s unprecedented game.
The most problematic of all of these is tanking. Currently, the Washington Wizards sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and are in no way vying for a playoff position, and their lack of drive to compete was palpable, signifying that they are content with losing now to increase their odds at a high pick in the upcoming draft. Tanking has been heavily criticized as it damages the competitive nature of the NBA, and leads to the back third of the season to have teams gutting it out to become “the team to lose to.” The Washington Wizards injury list is long, with their most notable players, Trae Young and Anthony Davis, sidelined for the season. While these two players are injury prone, sitting all-star players for the season is a key tanking indicator, which put the Wizards in a spot where the game against the Miami Heat wasn’t about winning, but losing. Rising star, Alexandre Sarr, who was having a very impressive game himself, was still limited in terms of minutes. After the first quarter, the game was practically over, and the Wizards stayed behind by double-digits the entire game. This game was all but guaranteed to be a blowout game, and it just so happened that one man would do most of the work himself. Of course, tanking isn’t the only reason why the Wizards lost, and there is nobody that would directly come out and say they were trying to lose. There is a level of pride that is at stake in these games, and that is something to play for at the very least. But they are at the bottom of the standings for a reason and are not a good basketball team compared to the rest of the NBA. So, even if they were trying to defend their pride and focus their attention on one player, they could not even do that.
The other reason why and the main reason this doesn’t happen more often is that once a team is winning by enough, they usually pull their starters. Again, this isn’t to discount what Bam Adebayo did, but it is just to say how common it is for a player who puts on a show in the first half, leaving murmurs of a potential record-setting game in the crowd, just for them to never receive the chance. So, Erik Spoelstra’s coaching decisions must be factored into why Bam scored 83. There were several points in the backend of the game where the Heat were up by 25 or more, but Spoelstra kept Bam in. In fact, he did so until about 90 seconds remained in a game where the Wizards never stood a chance, until he scored his 83rd point. It was clear that the whole team was on board to help etch Bam’s name in the history books, especially considering how he is known for often disagreeing with foul calls,. Wizards head coach Brian Keefe came out after saying it was “not a real basketball game” as the “unnecessary” foul calls and ugly basketball upset him.
Further Implications
Beyond just these issues lie the hypotheticals. In my opinion, the most fun question would be to see if every team competed against a tanking Washington Wizards or a team of similar skill, what NBA player could end up scoring the most points? It could easily be that 83 stands out for years to come, but I’d like to see if you put a player like Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or even Anthony Edwards out there, if they could have a similar performance? Erik Spoelstra’s decision to leave Bam in the game and actively encourage him to keep scoring was the needle mover to allow Adebayo to do what he did, so if other coaches did so consistently, how long would this record last?
Despite all of this, it is unlikely that the landscape of the league will change much after Bam Adebayo’s 83-point game, other than their now being real conversations of whether or not he becomes a hall-of-famer once he retires. Tanking persists and free throws plague enjoyment of the league, but it’s fun to witness a legendary part of history take place, no matter what fashion it was done in.
Contact Alex at fryalex1@shu.edu