He’s also learning under Team USA coach Gregg Popovich, one of the most respected tacticians in NBA history. Early on, the San Antonio Spurs mentor has already been thoroughly impressed with Adebayo (via Heavy).

“Well, he’s a center, that’s his role, you know, you already figured that out. He does what he does. He’s active, he’s a rebounder, he runs, he knows how to play with teammates. He handled the ball in Miami a lot—on wings, on elbows, on top, PHOs, splits, you know pick-and-rolls. He’s going to be very valuable to us and obviously our best rebounder.”

Clearly, the pressure is on for Adebayo after Popovich tagged him as Team USA’s best rebounder. But he’s led the Heat in rebounds for a few years now so it’s not exactly new territory for Adebayo. Plus, peeking at the roster, he’s the only legitimate center (albeit still undersized) as he, Draymond Green, and Kevin Love are the only big men.

Bam Adebayo was included in the Team USA pool for the 2019 FIBA World Cup but eventually withdrew. But now, he’s all good to go and he’ll play a pivotal role in the country’s quest to defend the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics.