Bam Adebayo on pace to leave long-lasting mark on Heat record book. Also, injury updates
Bam Adebayo is only in his seventh NBA season, but he continues to leave his mark on the Miami Heat’s record book. With Adebayo earning his 186th regular-season double-double in Sunday’s home win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, he moved into sole possession of third place for the most career double-doubles in Heat history. The only players with more career regular-season double-doubles in a Heat uniform are Rony Seikaly (221 double-doubles) and Alonzo Mourning (205 double-doubles). Considering Adebayo is 26 years old and is expected to be on the Heat’s roster for years to come, it’s only a matter of time before he passes Mourning and Seikaly to become the franchise leader for career double-doubles. “I mean, I’m still mad at Spo because he didn’t really let me play my first two years,” Adebayo joked ahead of Tuesday night’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors at Kaseya Center when told about his latest accomplishment. “But it just shows the trust that, obviously, the coaches have in me to go out there and produce, but also believing in myself that I can be top five in everything for the franchise.” Since Adebayo became the Heat’s full-time starting center in the 2019-20 season, only 10 NBA players have recorded more regular-season double-doubles than him during that time: Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert, Nikola Vucevic, Jonas Valanciunas, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, Clint Capela and Trae Young. The bottom line: Adebayo is producing at a pace that would make him one of the greatest Heat players ever if he spends all or most of his career with the organization. At Adebayo’s current pace, he and Dwyane Wade could be No. 1 and No. 2 as the Heat’s all-time career leaders in categories like two-point field goals made, free throws made, assists, steals and points, among others. Adebayo also appears to be on his way to overtaking Udonis Haslem as the Heat’s all-time leading rebounder within the next five seasons. “He’s going to keep on passing all these franchise records,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I think that is something to note that he is still a very young player, but his experience is so vast now. I mean, he’s got more playoff experience than almost anybody in the league at his age. That really matters to us.” Since Adebayo entered the league in the 2017 NBA Draft, he has started 64 playoff games. The only players still in their 20s who have made more playoff starts since the start of the 2017-18 season are Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jokic and Antetokounmpo.
In addition, P.J. Tucker is the only player in the league who has appeared in more playoff wins than Adebayo since the start of the 2019-20 season. Adebayo and Heat co-star Jimmy Butler have appeared 37 playoff wins during this stretch. “You get a bunch of playoff experience with real competitors, you learn how to really impact winning, what really moves the needle with winning and Bam really cares about it,” Spoelstra continued. “But the fact that he’s been able to climb the charts in terms of the rebounding and the double-doubles and still be able to generate so many assists for us. That’s incredibly unique for a player of his size.” Adebayo has already played in three Eastern Conference finals series and two NBA Finals series, but he’s still never won an NBA championship. While multiple Heat records appear to be in Adebayo’s future, winning a title is at the top of his to-do list.
“For me, it feels weird if we don’t make the playoffs because I don’t know what to do with that summer,” said Adebayo, who is eligible to sign an extension with the Heat this upcoming offseason. “But it’s just the experience of it. There’s nothing like it. The regular season and the playoffs are totally different. It’s possession by possession. When you have to think like that, everything matters. Turnovers, steals, missed shots, you start thinking about everything. So for me at a young age, it’s just great to have that opportunity.” INJURY REPORT The Heat remains without Tyler Herro (right foot medial tendinitis), Josh Richardson (right shoulder surgery) and Duncan Robinson (left facet syndrome) against the Warriors. But Kevin Love could return for the Heat after missing the past 13 games with a bruised right heel. Love was upgraded to questionable for Tuesday’s game. The Heat also listed Jaime Jaquez Jr. (left ankle discomfort) and Caleb Martin (right ankle discomfort) as questionable.
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