The Miami Heat are already expected to be without Tyler Herro, a 2025 All-Star, to begin the year after Herro underwent ankle surgery that would presumably keep him out until mid-November. The last thing the Heat needs is another injury problem to one of their best players in Bam Adebayo. There was a nervous moment during the Heat's 119-118 preseason loss against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, as Adebayo had to deal with a knee injury.
This knee problem forced Adebayo to play just 19 minutes and exit the game early. He was forced out of action with 10:00 left in the third quarter, when he was replaced by Jaime Jaquez Jr., and the Heat star did not return to action, triggering many concerns with opening night inching ever so closely.
The good news is that, according to Tim Reynolds of ESPN, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra revealed that they were merely being cautious with Adebayo and held him out of the game after he had suffered a knee contusion due to precautionary purposes.
Adebayo is one of the best and most versatile big men in the association, and he is expected once again to star for a Heat team that will be undermanned heading into opening night. With Herro expected to start the season on the shelf, Adebayo will be someone Miami will call upon to take a higher-usage role alongside Norman Powell and Andrew Wiggins.
Adebayo was healthy last year, as he missed just four games for the Heat. He's played in over 71 games over the past three seasons, and this positive injury report further solidifies his status as one of the most durable players in the league.
Bam Adebayo, Heat sit on the playoff fringes
No one can ever count out the Heat; they seem to pull off random acts of wizardry year after year, although now that Jimmy Butler is long gone, their goal of competing for a title may not be anything more than a pipe dream.
Nonetheless, this Heat team should be an above-average defensive squad, thanks in large part to Adebayo's anchoring on that end of the floor. A lot, however, will hinge on the development of Kel'el Ware, while Powell and Wiggins will have to do their bulk of efficient scoring especially with Herro on the mend.
At the moment, the Heat project to be a middle of the road team in the East, although Spoelstra definitely has it in him to coach this team into a top-six finish in the East.
