With Tons Of Talent Out East And Miami Heat Inconsistency, Bam May Fall Short
The overall talent in the NBA might be at an all-time high. It seems like every team in the league has at least one star player on their roster.
Depth Of The East
This is especially true in the Eastern Conference. Although it was considered the weaker conference for beyond 20 seasons, the East has gotten much stronger.
All of the top teams in the East are serious contenders to win a championship and there is much more talent scattered throughout the conference. Six frontcourt players will be selected as All-Stars.
Four of those players are locks to make the team—like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, and Joel Embiid. The remaining two spots are up for debate.
Bam Adebayo could fill one of the remaining spots, but odds are someone else is selected. In fact, Bam is not even the player most likely to be selected on his own team.
Even though he has already missed 14 games this season, Jimmy Butler is more likely to be selected. He is a more popular player and has clearly been the Heat’s best player when available.
This has already shown up in the early voting results, as Butler is the fifth highest-rated vote-getter in the Eastern Conference frontcourt.
There are several other players who have a chance to fill the spot. Although their teams have been struggling as much or more than the Heat have, such as Pascal Siakam and Kristaps Porzingis, who have been putting up excellent numbers all season.
Julius Randle has also been playing well recently and he will have the support of New York to boost his voting total. Bam Adebayo clearly deserves to be an All-Star, but this might not be the year he is selected.
What is more important for the Miami Heat is that he continues to play like an All-Star. They are going to need that level of production from him as they attempt to make another playoff run this season.
Again, because that’s what’s truly important here.