The Miami Heat's 106-90 victory over the Washington Wizards on Monday night was more than just a routine win against the NBA's worst team. It was a showcase of Bam Adebayo's growing legacy.
Adebayo notched his 222nd career double-double, surpassing Rony Seikaly as the franchise leader. He accomplished this feat in the first half, finishing with 19 points and 15 rebounds. But the numbers only tell part of the story. Adebayo's ascension to this milestone represents his steady climb up the Heat's all-time leaderboards and his importance to the franchise's future.
At just 27, Adebayo is already fourth in games played, fifth in minutes, and fourth in points scored for the Heat. He's on pace to finish second all-time in scoring, behind only Dwyane Wade. This trajectory puts Adebayo in rarefied air, potentially landing him on Miami's Mount Rushmore of players alongside Wade and Alonzo Mourning.
Here’s a look at where Adebayo ranks on the Heat franchise leaderboard:
- Fourth in games played
- Fifth in minutes played
- Second in rebounds
- Fifth in blocks
- Fourth in points
- Third in triple-doubles
It will take some time for Adebayo to climb to the top of the games and minutes leaderboards, but he is on pace to be second in all-time points scored by the end of next season. Adebayo has scored 8,511 career points, 737 points behind Glen Rice and 948 behind Alonzo Mourning. Adebayo has easily scored at least 1,000 points per season since becoming a full-time starter. As long as he’s healthy, he’ll be Miami’s second all-time scorer behind only Wade around this time next season.
(He’s about 10 seasons of this production away from catching Wade. That probably won’t happen.)
Bam Adebayo becoming the Heat's all-time leader in double-doubles got me thinking about where else he ranks in franchise history.
— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) March 4, 2025
Bam is on pace to be second in points in Heat franchise history by the end of next season. He's 27. pic.twitter.com/6plXZG7q0y
But Adebayo's impact goes beyond the box score. He's the torchbearer of Heat culture, the face of the franchise in the post-Jimmy Butler era. His consistent excellence, even if not always flashy, is the backbone of Miami's identity.
Step in the right direction
The Heat's performance against the Wizards, while not earth-shattering, showed signs of a team finding its footing. With only nine active players, Miami displayed improved ball movement, racking up 31 assists. This follows a trend of high assist totals in recent games, perhaps indicating a more egalitarian offense taking shape.
Terry Rozier's attempted lob to Tyler Herro, which Herro smartly converted into a layup, exemplified the team's adaptability. Duncan Robinson's 17 points off the bench and Pelle Larsson’s career-high 16 points highlighted the depth contributions Miami will need to succeed.
The Heat have now won three of their last four games, a modest but important stretch as they navigate life without Butler. While some may downplay the significance of beating the lowly Wizards, it's precisely these types of games that good teams must handle with professionalism.
As Miami looks ahead to tougher matchups against Cleveland, Minnesota, and Chicago, it’ll need to build on this momentum. If the Heat can secure two wins from that stretch, suddenly, we're looking at a team that's won five of seven – the kind of run that could signal a true turnaround.
The Heat's season has been far from perfect, but nights like Monday show there's still fight in this squad. With Adebayo leading the charge and role players stepping up, Miami might just be cooking up its best stretch of basketball this season.