Heat Gets a Startling Injury Update, but the Star Isn’t Sure When He’ll Get Back.

For Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat, “no idea” isn’t a very good update in the grand scheme of injuries.

When the Heat lost 106-90 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 28, the big man initially sustained a left hip contusion. Over the course of the following month, he missed games on October 30, November 22, and November 25 before playing on November 30 against the Indiana Pacers. Sadly for the people of South Beach, he only played 12:28 minutes on the court before being pulled from the starting lineup once more at the request of head coach Erik Spoelstra.

After a disappointing start to the 2023–24 NBA season, Miami needs Adebayo on the court to generate some positive momentum as it looks to get back on track. However, his return date is still unknown.

Adebayo, throwing up 22.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, will miss a second consecutive contest against the Toronto Raptors on December 6. Beyond that, nothing is certain.

According to Miami Herald reporter Barry Jackson, Adebayo remarked, “I have no idea.” “Being on the sidelines is something new to me. The moment the team returns from Toronto, I’m reassessed. At that point, we’ll talk.

While the Heat are reducing his on-court time, he did say that his hip is getting better.

“I haven’t started playing much basketball—no touching. Adebayo clarified, “Everything else I’ve been doing, like shooting and stuff, has gone great. Rest is the best thing for it. I’ve been attempting to accomplish that over the last few days. incredibly dull. However, this is how things work.

With a career-high 22.3 points per game average in 2023–24, the big man has been more aggressive than ever on the offensive end. He now sits just behind Jimmy Butler (22.4) and Tyler Herro (22.9) in the team standings. Even though Herro has been a valuable scorer, his scoring output is easier to replace, especially once he recovers from the ankle sprain that has kept him out of action since November 8.

Adebayo’s greatest influence is seen on defense, where his instincts and lateral mobility—which has been severely limited by a hip injury—allow him to thrive as an interior deterrent and a help defender who can switch onto almost any assignment. According to Dunks & Threes’ defensive estimated plus-minus metric, Adebayo’s work on the preventing end has placed him in the 94th percentile among all NBA players—even though he played at a lower level for extended periods of time.

His importance to Spoelstra’s schemes cannot be overstated when you consider his floor-stretching ability, willingness to work hard on both ends, and passing skills. According to Basketball Reference, the big man makes 40.6% of his looks from even deeper two-point territory and 49.4% of his shots from 10 to 16 feet.

Thomas Bryant, Orlando Robinson and the other internal options certainly aren’t capable of replicating his all-around impact, even if they can help stave off declines in smaller areas. With an 11-9 record, the Heat currently reside at No. 7 in the Eastern Conference standings. If they want to surge up the pecking order in the near future, they’ll need Adebayo to gain some clarity on when he can put the uniform back on and start impacting the proceedings on both ends.