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Miami Heat: Bam Adebayo may be the most important player in playoff push

By Duncan Smith

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 30: Bam Adebayo #13, Dwyane Wade #3, Dion Waiters #11, and James Johnson #16 look on during the second half of the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 30, 2019 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 30: Bam Adebayo #13, Dwyane Wade #3, Dion Waiters #11, and James Johnson #16 look on during the second half of the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 30, 2019 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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With the Miami Heat lineup in flux due to rotational changes and multiple injuries, Bam Adebayo has become the one constant force as the Heat push for the playoffs.

The Miami Heat have been battered by injuries and inconsistency and rotational changes since the 2018-19 season began. With Justise Winslow having missed the last nine games and Josh Richardson and Rodney McGruder missing time in that stretch as well, the Heat lineup has been aching for consistency. That’s where Bam Adebayo has come in.

Adebayo has slowly but steadily earned a longer leash from coach Erik Spoelstra to the point where at the beginning of March he was inserted into the starting lineup. Then-starting center Hassan Whiteside was out with a calf strain, and Adebayo stepped into the void and filled the role perfectly.

Once Adebayo got the starting job, he cemented himself in it immediately.

With the unrelenting waves of injuries that have beset the Heat not just throughout the season but as of late as they try to lock up a playoff spot, Adebayo has been their most consistent performer. If the Miami Heat want to finish the job and make the playoffs, they’ll need that and more from him.

In the nine games since Winslow went out with a thigh bruise, the Heat have gone 6-3. They’ve done this in spite of having just a slightly positive net rating at +1.1. Over this stretch the Heat have outscored their opponents by nine points per 100 possessions when Bam Adebayo has been on the floor, and when he’s been off they’ve been outscored by a staggering 10.4 points per 100 possessions.

The Miami Heat need to make the most of their minutes with Adebayo on the floor not just because of his own production, with a 98.2 defensive rating, averaging 11.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks per game, but because of the alternative when he’s off the floor.

As good as the Heat have been with him on the floor, they’ve been a disaster with him off the floor. Over the last nine games, the Heat are scoring just 93.4 points and getting outscored by 9.6 points per 100 possessions when Whiteside has been on the floor.

Whiteside has been occasionally marginalized in the rotation of late, being limited to five minutes in two of the last eight games, and his performance has been remarkably inconsistent when he has gotten extended run.

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For the Miami Heat to make the playoffs, Bam Adebayo must continue to be the rock he has been for them all season.

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