The NBA Summer League is a phenomenal opportunity for rookies, second-year players, and unproven veterans to show off their skills in the hopes of eventually making an impact during the regular season.While it goes without saying that the Summer League is not a true barometer in determining future success in the Association based on the level of competition, fans from around the league are treated with seeing their favorite team’s draft picks in action for the first time.The Miami Heat selected 19-year-old big man Bam Adebayo out of the University of Kentucky with the 14th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.Averaging 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks over 30.1 minutes per game during his one-and-done freshman season at Kentucky, Adebayo established himself as one of the best low-post finishers in the country, converting 60.1 percent of his two-point opportunities while throwing down an astounding 101 dunks on the year (roughly 2.7 per game). While his athleticism and size made him a lottery pick, he was still considered raw, which caused him to fall to the Heat at No. 14.But, through three Summer League contests, it seems as though Miami might have drafted an absolute steal.Averaging 19.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.3 steals in 31.3 minutes per game, Adebayo is the only player on the eight teams in the Orlando Summer League to average a double-double and had a monster output on Monday, posting 29 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in a 86-83 loss to the Indiana Pacers.Oddly enough, in 38 games at Kentucky last season, he eclipsed the 20-point threshold just three times with a career-high of 25 points. Check out his coast-to-coast display below from Monday's breakout performance and pay close attention to the nifty Euro-step at the end:

Heat center Hassan Whiteside took notice:

“He was what we like to say, one percent better,” Heat assistant coach Chris Quinn, who is coaching the Heat's summer roster, said via the Sun-Sentinel. “I thought he did a great job, a much better job of rolling to the basket. We were able to get him some easier looks that way and also get him to the foul line. They had some big physical guys down there and he responded well to that.” 

“It can be a big asset if you have a big that can get a rebound, outlet and then bust up the court, get you in different situation,” Quinn added.

Adebayo attributed his big performance to his ability to play free and easy, given the relaxed atmosphere of the league and encouragement of the organization.

“It shows coach allows me to play free. He believes in me to make the right plays,” Adebayo said after the game. “Pat [Riley] and them said they were going to let me not be in a box. In summer league, I'm playing free I’m having fun.”

“If I keep doing that I might get touches in the real game,” he said. “If I can do good with the real touches, I might be one of those guys.”

Despite his 29-point outburst in which he went 13-for-17 from the free throw line, Quinn admitted that the team will not rely on Adebayo as much on the offensive end as they will on the defensive side of the ball.

“It's something maybe he hasn't been asked to do in the past,” Quinn said of Adebayo’s offensive role in Monday’s contest. “But we're giving him the freedom to get the ball down low, to make plays for us. At the end of the day, we want him rebounding, we want him defending. Those will be the things we focus on the most.”

Receiving production from a frontcourt player off the bench behind Whiteside is something that the Heat lacked last season, and it seems as though the youngster will receive the opportunity to make an impact immediately.

“Athletically and energetically, he's a beast for a 19-year-old,” Quinn noted. “Obviously we're going to ask even more from him. Can he get one more rebound? Can he get one more block shot? How many extra efforts can you make that impact winning? That's what we're going to need this coming season.”

Given the evolution of the current NBA, Adebayo’s athleticism and versatility to defend either the four or five will serve him well. Since he’s still a teenager, he will have time to develop into what the Heat hope will become a major difference-maker and long-term starter. With Josh McRoberts, Okaro White, James Johnson and Luke Babbit as his competition at the power forward position, it is conceivable that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra relies on his rookie to play 20-plus minutes per game in a major role right off the bat.

If his first three Summer League performances mean anything, Adebayo is well on his way to becoming a household name. For a franchise that is struggling to find its identity after the days of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh's "Big Three", Adebayo, along with Whiteside, represents the future of South Beach.