I can't imagine the Miami Heat or even Erik Spoelstra making this admission right now, but with the way things are shaping up, you can't help but be somewhat concerned about the possibility of Bam Adebayo missing opening night.
Bam has missed the Heat's last two preseason games and didn't even make the trip to Orlando for the team's finale on Friday night. There's no reason to believe, at least for now, that the injury to Bam (a groin injury) is a long-term concern, but the fact that he's not even traveling with the team is at least somewhat concerning.
And if he isn't ready for opening night, that would be labeled as somewhat of a nightmarish start to the Heat's season.
The injury bug can't hit the Heat right out of the gate
Especially considering that one of the Heat's biggest question marks heading into the start of the season revolves around their durability, it would be pretty demoralizing if Miami were already dealing with key injuries this early.
Considering the amount of momentum that the Heat have managed to build during the preseason, there's reason to believe that they could get off to a fast start to the season. And they may need that, especially if there's an anticipation that Giannis will miss a few games here and there (whether that's due to wear and tear or load management).
But that could be difficult to do if they're not healthy to start the year. And while they may be able to get by without Dru Smith or Keshad Johnson, who are still sidelined with injuries of their own, I'm not sure if they'd easily be able to overcome Bam's absence.
Even though it wouldn't be the end of the world if Bam wasn't able to go on opening night for the Heat, especially if this injury is not considered to be a long-term worry, but there's no question that this is a far from ideal way for this team to start the season.
Maybe there's going to be a little more insight into the Heat's handling of Bam's injury over the next few days, and if so, that would certainly help lighten up the concern within the fan base. At least for now, though, it's one of the biggest unknowns that no one seems to be talking about.
And if Heat fans' biggest concern does end up becoming a reality next week, and Bam does miss the start of the season, it's going to dampen at least some of the excitement surrounding opening week.
Add us as a preferred source on Google