With limited time remaining in the regular season, the Miami Heat have hit a rough patch in their schedule. Five of their last seven games have resulted in a loss, as the Heat's only two victories came against a lackluster Detroit Pistons squad. Much of this team's struggles have to do with injuries adding up, but Miami has always been a team to count on their depth. Now more than ever, the Heat will need their depth to step up, especially due to Bam Adebayo's appearance on the injury report.
Adebayo, who made his third All-Star appearance in February, has been one of the most durable and consistent players on the Heat in recent years. This season, the 58 games he has played rank third on the team behind only Duncan Robinson (63) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (62).
Currently a game behind the Philadelphia 76ers for the 6-seed in the Eastern Conference, Wednesday night's game against the Cavs is extremely important for the Heat. Cleveland is set to be without Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, which is why this is a great opportunity for Miami and Adebayo. Unfortunately, the big man is on the wrong end of the team's injury report.
Bam Adebayo injury status vs. Cavs
Adebayo popped up late on the Heat's injury report due to a lower back contusion. They have since ruled him out for this matchup, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
For the Heat, Adebayo is just the latest name to hit the injury report. Tyler Herro has not played since the end of February due to a foot issue, Duncan Robinson is dealing with a back injury that the team sent him back to Miami in order to undergo further tests, and Jimmy Butler has missed two straight games with a foot contusion.
Fortunately for the Heat, Butler will be playing against the Cavs.
Even though he tends to play through minor injuries, the fact that Adebayo was downgraded on the Heat's injury report before eventually being ruled out is a concern for this organization. Whether or not this is an injury that keeps Bam sidelined for more than one game is yet to be determined.
“It’s something that he’s been dealing with,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Adebayo on Wednesday morning in Cleveland, per Chiang. “And by the time we got to Cleveland, it definitely didn’t get better, it got a little bit worse. So we’ll treat him and he’ll be day-to-day.”
In a total of 58 games this season, Adebayo has averaged 19.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. Not having Bam available against a tough Cavaliers squad would leave the Heat exposed on the interior since he is their defensive anchor.
Thomas Bryant and Nikola Jovic will be the two players to see their minutes increase in the frontcourt as a result of Adebayo's absence on Wednesday night.
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