Bam Adebayo's NBA stock rises in latest rankings, Heat teammate falls

The Miami Heat are looking for continued development from their young star duo of Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Adebayo is coming off the best year of his career, earning All-Defensive first team honors and becoming a three-time NBA All-Star. Herro, on the other hand, is in a position where another redemption season is needed after suffering through a year plagued by injuries yet again. 

These notions were backed up in Yahoo Sports’ recent rankings of the league’s best second and third options. Considering Jimmy Butler is still playing at a high level, Adebayo was viewed as one of the top second options in the league in the rankings. Herro was included as a third option. 

Adebayo received his deserved flowers. He was ranked fourth, behind just Anthony Davis, Devin Booker and Jaylen Brown. 

In terms of his standing on this list, there is a lot of accuracy in his position there. Entering his eighth year in the league, Adebayo is at the beginning of his prime and has improved his all-around game every season he has played. His most recent development has included adding a 3-point shot to his offensive arsenal. 

The All-Star big man shot a career-high 35% from 3-point range during the 2023-24 campaign. And his floor spreading carried over into this summer’s Olympics as well, where he shot 36% in that department. Factor his consistent progression with his All-Defensive reputation and this ranking makes a lot of sense as a legitimate two-way talent to back up Butler.

Herro’s ranking was a bit more harsh, where Yahoo Sports included him as the 21st best third option in the league. 

As much as there could be some truth here, there’s a fair argument to be made that Herro owns more talent than several names above him on this list. Draymond Green, Jalen Suggs, Jalen Johnson, Brandon Miller and Klay Thompson are just a few of the questionable ones ranked ahead of Herro. The sole reason for Herro’s underwhelming ranking comes down to availability.

Herro appeared in a career-low 42 games last season and missed virtually all of Miami's 2023 Finals run with a broken hand. That said, Herro's offensive talent alone should have been enough to earn a higher spot in this list.

As a three-level scorer, Herro can do most anything on the offensive end when healthy. He is a certified bucket-getter and an integral part of the Heat’s core. But injuries and lists like this put him in a position to prove himself yet again.