The Miami Heat didn’t cash in their chips this offseason. They didn’t land Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets, as it was decided between the two parties in that matter that a return and attempt to mend those fences was the best course of action.
They weren’t the team that eventually saw the coming of Donovan Mitchell either. With Cleveland sending picks and players in a package that featured Collin Sexton, another name linked to the Miami Heat in a case of irony, they are the new home of Mitchell.
Now, while not being the team to land either of the major players on the market this offseason is one thing and bad enough, depending on the perspective of course, the Miami Heat still have a major hole to fill.
After losing P.J. Tucker to the Philadelphia 76ers, they don’t have a guy that has proven he can fill that kind of role on the roster. While there are guys that are worthy of a shot at it, no one has done it.
There are several viable options on the Miami Heat’s roster to try at the spot, as mentioned. When considering Haywood Highsmith, Darius Days, Caleb Martin, and possibly others, they are worthy of minutes in a rotation, at the very least but none of them are proven.
Bringing in Mitchell or Durant could have helped solve that problem, as KD slots in as one of your bigs, while Mitchell may have forced or allowed you to slide everyone else down in the lineup due to his entry. Mitchell wasn’t as certain there, but it would have provided them a different approach nonetheless.
Still needing to fill that void now though or add depth, again at the very least, should they continue to wait for a guy capable of giving them that on the trade market as the season begins to unfold? As things begin to shake out with the new year, teams and players will inevitably decide to part ways as new players blossom or philosophies change.
The Miami Heat could be right there to have at the guy of their choosing, perhaps. That could work, but is there another option?
Well, there might be.
What if—the answer to that question is right in front of them and always has been? Bam Adebayo is as skilled, strong, and athletic as they come.
He can defend anyone on the floor, has the ball skills, and is a few three-point attempts per game away from being the ideal stretch four. Not only is he darn good at the perimeter stuff but he would also still be a real power forward though with his size and ability to be effective at the rim or in the paint on both sides of the ball.
With guys like Omer Yurtseven, Dewayne Dedmon, Orlando Robinson if he sticks, or even Nikola Jovic, depending on how far along and fast the Miami Heat can help him find a niche, Bam Adebayo could be that guy that operates as your power forward.
Though with a guy like Jovic things become more interchangeable, the fact that Bam could man either spot is the point.
Even if the guy isn’t on the roster, such as a Myles Turner type, there are ways to make it happen. For what it’s worth, the Miami Heat have never really truly tried to play Adebayo as a power forward.
But that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t and especially if there aren’t any true upgrades at the spot revealing themselves for an equitable cost.
So, yes, the Miami Heat’s answer at the power forward spot might already be on the roster—they just have to be willing to see if it can work.