LILLE (France) - Bam Adebayo certainly knows how to take advantage of his opportunity. The United States big man played a major role in USA's win over South Sudan thanks to Joel Embiid being on the bench.
Adebayo flashed his complete game in 20 minutes with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting with 2 three-pointers, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 blocks in the 103-86 victory. That came after the 27-year-old had only 4 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists against Serbia.
"I had open shots and I made them. That's the karma of the world," Adebayo said.
On what makes him so valuable to the team, he added: "Being able to switch one to five, being able to guard the opposition makes me that much more versatile. Being able to space the floor and being able to do the in-between things like point center. It just gives us a more diverse team."
Anthony Davis was impressed with what his fellow big man was able to do.
"'Bamonte' was phenomenal: his three-point shooting, his dominance in the paint at both ends of the floor and on the glass," Davis said.
Adebayo had his moments in the preparation for Paris 2024 - the center's second Olympics after he picked up 6.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists at the Toyko Games.
Still, expectations for Adebayo were not sky high for Paris since head coach Steve Kerr also had Embiid and Davis in the low blocks.
Still, Adebayo has excelled in his versatility at both ends. He can score inside, set excellent screens, knock down three-pointers to give good spacing and also knows how to pass the ball. He also crashes the boards, blocks shots and brings great energy for the team on defense.
With Kerr electing to sit Embiid for the South Sudan game, that was all the chance Adebayo needed to show why he was picked for this team.
FIBA