I want it on record that Bam Adebayo has the most underrated high school mixtape of the past decade. In that BallIsLife video from 8 years ago, Adebayo — of course — uses his already NBA-ready frame to dunk on, uh, everybody. But there’s also a segment of the mixtape that showcases his passing ability, a few short clips of him playing defense and a couple monster rebounds.
- Quinn Everts
FanSided Editor
It’s not often you see a player in early highlight tapes actually look like the NBA prospect they’d eventually become. He hasn’t pulled out a windmill dunk in a little bit — but almost a decade down the line, Adebayo continues to make a name for himself by doing all the dirty work Miami requires of him. It’s seldom flashy, but it’s always productive for the Heat big man, who lives near the top of all defensive efficiency metrics you can think of.
Adebayo isn’t quite the player who you build a team around — but he’s an irreplaceable part of team-building.