Miami Heat: 3 players with the most work do to in Bam Adebayo’s absence

Head coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat reacts as the Heat play the Dallas Mavericks(Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
Head coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat reacts as the Heat play the Dallas Mavericks(Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
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Miami Heat
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) tries to get the rebound away from Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13)( Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports)

The Miami Heat are in for a real wake-up call over the next several weeks or so. With Bam Adebayo set to miss quite a bit of time after surgery on his thumb, a month or so, they will have to get used to life without the versatile big man.

Though Bam had been up and down this year, as far as his aggressiveness on a night to night basis and as indicative by his fluctuating rebounding prowess, he is absolutely essential to what the Miami Heat do.

Even when the counting stuff isn’t totally in his favor, his impact on the game is always evident. His defense, his effort, and his ability to make other players around him better are still extremely valuable.

Without all of that stuff in the lineup, the Miami Heat will have to pivot and find a way to adjust. They will have to get bigger contributions from others.

Here are the three players with the most work to do in Bam’s absence.