Bam Adebayo says Heat look really good ‘on paper’

With the Miami Heat’s trade of Hassan Whiteside earlier this month, it looks like Bam Adebayo will solidify his position as the Heat’s starting center. (He permanently started over Whiteside late last year.)

And Adebayo had his thoughts on how his team looks, having undergone its first roster overhaul since 2016, when the Heat first signed Dion Waiters and James Johnson.

Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reported the following:

“I can’t tell you that right now,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said Saturday during a break at his second annual youth basketball clinic at Riviera Preparatory School in Kendall. “But on paper, we look like we’re really good. So we’ve just got to fulfill that and go out there and play our hardest and just complete.”

The Heat center also called his fellow Kentucky standout Tyler Herro a “fast learner” and said that he’ll fit right in.

Herro put in an impressive performance throughout Miami’s summer league play. People may not remember this, but some considered Adebayo a reach when the Heat selected him with the 14th overall pick in 2017 — just what some thought with Herro this year. Adebayo’s strong play in the summer league helped quiet those doubters.

On paper, the Heat look like a competitive team — one with Jimmy Butler surrounded by the youthful energy of Adebayo, Herro Justise Winslow, Derrick Jones Jr. and 2019 second-round pick KZ Okpala. Goran Dragic may be a steadying, veteran presence — or he could be traded, with only one year left on his contract. But the Heat remain a couple moves away from returning to contention in the East.