Regardless of his absence in the Miami Heat’s dominant 26-point win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, the Heat need Bam Adebayo to be healthy to get where they want to go.
However, for the last stretch of games, he hasn’t been healthy.
Adebayo’s missed each of the last two games with what’s been described as lower-back soreness. But it wasn’t just that, according to the three-time All-Star.
“It finally got to a point where I had to sit down,” Adebayo told reporters after Miami’s 142-116 win, even though he wasn’t active. “Sit and rest. That’s really what it was. It was one of those nagging injuries. So I finally had to sit down.
“It wasn’t always the back. It just crept up to the back. … It’s the NBA, guys always try to play through (injuries), and when you can’t, you sit down and rest.”
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters pre-game that Adebayo was dealing with “overcompensation,” stating that he “really needed” the extra rest. And the Heat will need him to be active ahead of this five-game stretch, which features the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves (twice).
Back injuries are always tricky, especially if you’re attempting to overcompensate for another injury. It remains unclear which specific injury he was overcompensating for. But Adebayo did miss six games in November with a foot/toe injury.
In his first nine games after returning from the injury, he was averaging 19.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.4 blocks on 50.4/39.0/75.0 shooting splits. But in the seven games since, his scoring has dipped to just 13.6 points on 42.9 percent shooting while shooting just 1-of-17 from deep (5.9 percent).
There’s no question that Adebayo is one of the team’s most important players, regardless of this recent stretch. He’s one of the best defenders on planet Earth, a very good rebounder, an underrated passer and a growing 3-point shooter. His finishing and long-range shooting hasn’t been as efficient. But he’s more than capable of being a fringe 20-point, 10-rebound player with elite defense on a nightly basis.
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The Heat needs a good third big to allow Bam and Ware to stay fresh and healthy. There has to be a trade out there.
Actually, Riley needs to pull the trigger on a couple of trades, unless he’s willing to have another play-in team.
He should already have tested the market for Rozier since the salary in his expiring contract may be fully reimbursed if he is found guilty.