HEAT’S NEXT BIG THING! Bam Adebayo Raves About Miami’s Rising Star, Praising Their “Bulldog Mentality”
The Miami Heat’s famed “Heat Culture” has been responsible for unearthing the most diamonds in the rough in the league and they appear to have done it again.
Regardless of how Jimmy Butler might feel about “Heat Culture”, the proof is in the pudding where Erik Spoelstra‘s coaching and talent identification have landed the team many underrated contributors.
In the wake of losing Butler, the Miami Heat needed to go deep into their bag of tricks and do it again and if Bam Adebayo’s comments are any indications, they’ve done it again.
Erik Spoelstra has also given his endorsement to the Heat youngster with “bulldog mentality”, which is the ultimate praise for a Heat player.
Bam Adebayo on “bulldog” Miami Heat youngster
The Heat’s season was thrown into turmoil due to the circus that followed around Jimmy Butler and they’re still reeling from it.
They languish in ninth place in the East but even that is because they’re currently on a five-game winning streak which makes them favourites for a play-in spot.
Having said that, no team would like to play the Heat in the play-ins because their diamonds in the rough generally up their game even more.
One player who’s already doing it is Pelle Larsson, dropping 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in the Heat’s latest win against the Wizards.
It follows from his 14-point outing against the Philadelphia 76ers as he earned only the fourth start of his NBA career against the Wizards.
Adebayo said after the game that Larsson had a “bulldog mentality” who really set the tone for the team.
He said: “It started with Pelle, young kid was really getting in the paint, putting guys in the basket, and we need that from him, that bulldog mentality we had Davion out, so he stepped in that role.”
Erik Spoelstra on Pelle Larsson
Larsson was the 44th pick in the draft so it can be argued that only Heat could’ve found a capable contributor with that late a pick and they’ve been doing so consistently.
Spoelstra is the common denominator in the careers of all those players and Larsson will be delighted to have earned his endorsement.
Spoelstra has praised Larsson before, but this time, he gave him the ultimate compliment by calling him a player who ‘moves the needle’.
He said: “Pelle just continues to gain confidence and fill in these intangible gaps, winning stuff that he does, the numbers now are matching the intangibles. He does a lot of things that contribute and move the needle.”
Larsson’s introduction into the starting lineup has coincided with the Heat’s winning streak and that’s not a fact lost on people’s mind on the East coast.
The Heat have done it again and Pelle Larsson is the name of their latest success story.
