The Miami Heat recently passed the NBA's mid-season threshold this past weekend, as did most of the rest of the teams across the league. With their most recent loss to the Golden State Warriors on Monday night, their overall record dropped to 22-21 — that's 43 games played, with 39 remaining.
Miami is going through one of its more up-and-down seasons in recent years. Although the argument could be made that they've gone through a stretch of up-and-down seasons going back a few years, now. The current season, however, just seems and feels like a new low, and while there are contributing factors, much of it has to do with star players not playing like star players.
Bam Adebayo is one of Miami's star players and the closest thing the Heat have to a superstar. That said, though, he isn't, and has not played like one, save for the first month of the season when the Heat were looking up. So, 43 games in, Adebayo's inconsistencies have earned him a lower mid-season grade than in past seasons.
Bam Adebayo earns a C+ mid-season grade
There is one simple word to describe the trade rumors and speculation circulating about Adebayo coming from the outside: unintelligent. The biggest mistake the Heat could make right now is trade the only player that has been a stable stalwart over the last six years, and that’s taking into account Jimmy Butler.
Adebayo is consistently in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation, and despite this season, his defensive impact should keep him there. Will he win it? That's unlikely, and largely so because of Miami's record and the fact that they're no better than a play-in team. Also, Victor Wembenyama. Still, Bam's defense is why his grade isn't worse and why there's a + after the C.
Adebayo's low grade is tethered to unmet expectations and offensive shortcomings. To begin the season, Adebayo was excellent, averaging 23 points per game for the month of October. In November, though, those numbers took a significant dip, averaging 16.6 points per game. The Heat went 10-5 in November, though, so his drop in points wasn't so loud a problem.
In December, Adebayo again dropped his points per game to 16.3, but, in contrast to the Heat's record in November, Miami's record shifted drastically, going 5-8. The month of December really shot the Heat in the foot, and January hasn't been much better. Adebayo's January marks the third consecutive month his PPG has dropped. He's averaging 15.0 points this month, which includes three games with fewer than ten points.
Adebayo has dealt with a couple of injury-related issues, missing eight of Miami's 43 games so far, mainly in November and December, which may be playing a part in his declining numbers. Still, generally speaking, Bam has looked fairly healthy all season, which means he's simply not playing up to the expectations of the type of player he is.
With all of the trade buzz surrounding the Heat at this point in the season, Adebayo could still get some much-needed help should Miami pull the trigger on a significant trade. The benefit of a big trade is directly tied to the open window that is the Eastern Conference right now. The Heat is not a deep playoff team as presently constructed.
However, should something major happen between now and the trade deadline, it could affect the Heat's season, including Adebayo's, for the better. Regardless, as it stands today, Adebayo has not been the player Heat fans are accustomed to watching.
He should be better (he should have more help, too), and he should be scoring more. A C+ is the best grade Bam can get right now, but there's still time for him to move up. That's why it's called a mid-season grade, not an end-of-season grade.