BAM Adebayo

Adebayo got onto the floor twice this preseason before the groin issue shut him down. On October 3 against Toronto he scored 10 points with 6 rebounds in 12.8 minutes, and Miami won with him posting a plus-5.0. Five days later against New Orleans he put up 9 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 16.1 minutes, and the Heat won again with Adebayo at plus-11.0. Those are short stints by design, the kind a veteran starter gets in exhibition games. The numbers do not tell much on their own, but the plus-minus in both games was positive and Miami won both. Then came the rest day on October 10 and the groin listing. The three missed games cost him any chance to build rhythm, so the regular season starts cold for him.

Last season Adebayo played 73 games for Miami and averaged 32.4 minutes. He scored 20.1 points per game, grabbed 10.0 rebounds and handed out 3.2 assists. He added 1.2 steals and 0.7 blocks with 1.6 turnovers. He shot 44.2 percent from the field, 31.8 percent from three and 77.8 percent from the line, with a true shooting mark of 55.1 percent. His usage rate was 24.8 percent and his plus-minus was 4.5. The three-point number stands out because it shows he is still taking those shots at a modest clip. The rebounding and scoring lines are the core of what Miami gets from him: a double-double threat every night who handles a heavy share of the offense when he is on the floor.

Adebayo closed last season with a strong run in April. On April 12 against Atlanta he scored 25 points with 10 rebounds and 3 assists in 29.2 minutes, and Miami won with him at plus-16.0. Two days earlier against Washington he had 20 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists in 38.5 minutes in a win, finishing plus-22.0. He also had 24 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists in a loss to Toronto on April 9, and 14 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in a win over Washington on April 4. The one quiet night was a 7-point, 9-rebound game in a loss to Toronto on April 7. The assist totals in that stretch, 8, 8 and 7, show how much Miami ran its offense through him late in the year.

Adebayo is listed at 6-9 and 260 pounds, wears number 13 and plays center and forward. He is 29 years old with 9 seasons of experience, all of it built after his time at Kentucky. Last season he was with Miami, so this is a continuation, not a new start. The one rumor item on the board is a September 22 Heat Notes report that touched on the starting five along with Thompson, Larsson and Conwell. That report is a rumor and should be read as such. Nothing in it changes Adebayo's role as the Heat's frontcourt centerpiece. With him cleared, the starting five discussion becomes about who lines up around him rather than whether he is in it.