The New Splash Brother, Bam Adebayo, isn’t playing around. In the game against South Sudan, the star centre made the most of  the opportunity by dropping 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting, coming off the bench. Adebayo who reflects the Heat culture, is the quietest one who erupts with the loudest thunder. No wonder former Miami Heat player Gary Payton praised the veteran ahead of the Olympic Semi-Finals.

Payton believes that the 3x NBA All-Star’s all-around basketball skills make him admirable and that he is the most reliable star in the absence of Jimmy Butler. Without him, the Heat is done, Payton believes. Is this the same reason why he is in the Olympics? That’s what the former Heat icon said, and Bam is proving all of it right.

“He’s a guy who’s going to work. That’s why Miami loves him so much. And when Butler’s not on the floor, why they go through him so much? Because he can go and give you 20, 15 rebounds, gives you four or five blocks, and then have one or two or three steals.”

Payton added, “He can do that, and then come with six or seven assists. That’s the type of basketball player you want, and that’s an all-around basketball player for me. And again, that’s why he’s on the Olympic team too.”

He has been showing up for every game. With 7x NBA All-Star Joel Embiid struggling to adjust, Bam delivered 17 points and 8 rebounds to clinch a 105-79 win over Serbia in the exhibition games. His strong defensive play also earned him a new nickname from Lakers star LeBron James, who called him the “new Splash Brother.” 

With Embiid sitting out the game against South Sudan, Adebayo had more playing time. Just one more game after, he notched up another impressive performance in the quarterfinals.

After a win over Brazil, Bam Adebayo gears up for the game against Team Serbia

Bam delivered 9 points, shooting 4-of-8 from the field, and grabbed 7 rebounds to help lead Team USA to a win over Brazil. Replacing Embiid, he came off the bench in the second half.

Next up, the team will face Serbia, where we will see a battle between two Heat stars, Nikola Jovic and Adebayo, in the semifinals. The latter is currently averaging 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in his second appearance at the Olympics.

The team has previously defeated Serbia in two matchups by more than 20 points, but that doesn’t lessen Serbia’s 4-1 impact in the tournament. While the star-studded Team USA is quite powerful and has been playing well, Adebayo is concerned about “playing the right way.”

“We worry about that first, we don’t worry about matchups, we got one of the best teams out here, so for us it’s about going out there and playing the right way,” Adebayo said. The focus should be on stopping Nikola Jokic, and as Bam noted, playing the right way is to be the focus. 

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.”