What are Bam Adebayo's stats against Denver Nuggets?

With the NBA Finals set to tip off on Thursday, let's take a look at Bam Adebayo's stats against the Denver Nuggets. Although Adebayo has been on a tear this postseason, the Nuggets are pretty heavy-betting favorites heading into the matchup.

Between the Miami Heat entering the playoffs as the eighth seed, and the Nuggets' dominance, many are predicting the Heat will have a tough road in the finals. Despite that, there's hope that a strong center like Adebayo will be able to make things difficult for Jokic and the Nuggets.

When looking at Bam Adebayo's stats, he has averaged 13.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg and 2.8 apg in 12 games played against the Nuggets. The first time he and the Nuggets faced off was in 2017, when Adebayo appeared for just four minutes and racked up one rebound.

The last time the two teams faced off back in February, Bam Adebayo's stats looked much different. Over 34 minutes, Adebayo scored 19 points, while adding two rebounds, two assists and two steals.

When looking at Bam Adebayo's stats over his career, we can see that his numbers improved this year in most categories. His points per game average, as well as his free-throw percentage, were both up from last year, while many of his other averages remained the same.

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Miami Heat v Boston Celtics - Game Two

Looking at Bam Adebayo's stats in the playoffs during his career and how the team plans to handle the Jokic matchup

Although Bam Adebayo's stats against the Nuggets sit below his career average, his playoff stats are a reason for Heat fans to be optimistic. Throughout 64 career playoff games, Adebayo is averaging 15.4 ppg, 8.8 rpg and 3.4 apg, numbers that exceed his averages against the Nuggets.

There are two ways to look at Bam Adebayo's stats, one is that he shows up in the playoffs, and as a result, will show up in a big way for the Heat in the NBA Finals. The other way to look at the numbers is that while Adebayo shows up in the playoffs, he struggles when guarding the two-time MVP.

Miami Heat v Boston Celtics - Game Seven

He recently spoke to media members about the Herculean task of guarding Jokic:

“I feel like this is one of those series where he becomes very dangerous when you let his teammates get involved, and he can make those incredible passes and end up with 12 assists. Make him take tough shots, force him into tough shots, and live with the result. That’s the biggest thing for me.

"Does it end in a win? If it ends in a win, it doesn’t matter. You can talk about stats, you can talk about this guy did that, did this and that. But you know, at the end of the day, they’re going to remember the people who won.”