Bam Adebayo

Heat Notes: Sweep, Draft, Free Agents, Grades, Offseason Outlook

April 29th, 2025 at 8:18pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat got a serious dose of reality in the playoffs, getting swept by Cleveland in the opening round and losing Game 4 by 55 points, which coach Erik Spoelstra described as a humbling experience.

“These last two games were embarrassing, but Cleveland is also a very good team,” he said, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “We won whatever we won, they won 64 games. We’re as irrational as we usually are, thinking that we have a chance to win this series and they showed us why we weren’t ready for that.”

Changes are coming for a team that had to fight out of the play-in tournament just to get the last playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.

“As an organization, yeah, we’re going to look at this and say this is unacceptable,” Spoelstra said. “We got to get to another level.”

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Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald details the draft assets the Heat have and the free agent decisions they must make this summer. Miami possesses the No. 20 pick, courtesy of the Jimmy Butler trade, but Oklahoma City will get their pick at No. 15. Other than the No. 20 pick, the Heat can only use their 2030 first-rounder in a trade before or during the draft. The team will likely issue Davion Mitchell a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent but that doesn’t necessarily mean the front office would match any offer sheet. The Heat also have to figure out what to do with Duncan Robinson‘s partially guaranteed contract.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel handed out his regular season and postseason grades for each player, with Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo and Mitchell at the top of the class and Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Terry Rozier drawing a D-minus and F, respectively, for the regular season, and matching F’s for the playoffs.
Patience must be exercised as the Heat look for ways to improve, ESPN Insider Bobby Marks opines in his offseason outlook. They have some expiring contracts to dangle and could have much more flexibility to chase free agents in the 2026 offseason if they’re prudent. HoopsHype’s Mark Deeks also takes an extensive look at the Heat’s offseason, including the contract situation for each player on the roster.

Heat Notes: Jaquez, Elimination, Herro, Adebayo, Anderson

April 28th, 2025 at 5:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jaime Jaquez Jr.‘s second NBA season hasn’t gone as smoothly as his rookie campaign. Jaquez has been out of the Heat‘s rotation in their playoff series against Cleveland after getting steady playing time last season.

“Obviously, it’s frustrating as a competitor,” Jaquez told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “As a player, you want to be in the game playing. But seasons come with ups and downs. I think more than anything, you take it as a learning experience. It will help you grow as a player and as a person to go through adversity like this. If you make it out to the other side, then you’re going to see what you become.”

Jaquez averaged 8.6 points per game this season on a lower shooting percentage than last season, when he averaged 11.9 PPG and made 48.9 percent of his attempts.

“There’s going to be struggles throughout your career,” he said. “You don’t want to shy away from those. Obviously, there have been a lot of ups and downs with some bad luck with some illnesses and then obviously getting hurt. But I think it’s given me a great opportunity to just learn, learn a lot about myself and about the game and take this time to just continue to work on my craft, work on my routine and continue to get better as a professional.”

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They’re facing elimination tonight and staring at a 3-0 deficit in the series. NBA teams are 0-158 in playoff series after falling behind 3-0, Chiang notes. “This is our reality right now. But like I told the guys, it’s not time to let go of the rope,” guard Tyler Herro said. “We’re going to play until the final buzzer, whether that’s next game, Game 5, 6, 7 or another series after this. We just got to keep playing. That’s what we’re paid to do and that’s who we are as an organization. We want to compete and we’re not going out 4-0.”
Herro pumped in 33 points in Game 2 but was held to 13 points in Game 3, as the Cavaliers limited him to a series-low 46 touches, according to Chiang. “I’m coming off and they’re not allowing me to get any handoffs or coming off pindowns or anything like that,” he said. “Just pretty much face-guarding me and guiding me into the corner.” Herro and his teammates will have to find counters for that strategy if they want to extend the series.
Bam Adebayo has become more comfortable attempting three-pointers this season and that’s reflected in the volume of his long-range shots through the first three playoff games. He has taken 17 and made six. “He has good balance about it, of being rugged and aggressive at the rim and in the pant, because we need that as well … he’s a very good shooter,” coach Erik Spoelstra told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Kyle Anderson was added to the injury report for Monday’s game due to an illness, Chiang tweets. However, he is available, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets. Anderson has only seen the floor for six minutes during the series.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Wizards, Magic, Play-In, Nance

April 14th, 2025 at 5:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There are a lot of moves the Heat, who face the Bulls in the play-in tournament on Wednesday, need to make to become true contenders again, says Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Not only do the Heat need to add an elite scorer, Jackson writes, they also need an elite shot creator and a better floor leader to prevent the late-game slides that plagued the team this season. However, the pairing of Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware worked well and should be the team’s power duo going forward, according to Jackson, who adds that they also have a solid second unit to bring back next season.

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Wizards general manager Will Dawkins was pleased with the growth of his young players this season but knows they have many more steps to take to become a playoff contender, he told Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “I would say that we discovered through a lot of different assessments and lineups that there’s a style of play that, if we’re rowing in the right direction, can be successful. And we have the type of players here who were bought into that,” he said. “We’re far from where we need to be — still at the ground level. But we feel good about the camaraderie of the group, the work ethic of the group, and the direction we’re headed. But (there’s) a lot of work ahead of us.”
After an injury-marred season, the Magic still wound up as the highest seed in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. A victory over Atlanta on Tuesday would clinch the No. 7 seed and a matchup with Boston in the first round. “With everything we’ve gone through, with the bodies being down, with guys being in and out of lineups and the adversity that we’ve hit this year, for this group to get to .500, [it] says a lot about their character, their care factor, and the coaching staff,” coach Jamahl Mosley said, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. “We’re going to have to put that behind us in this moment and move onto Tuesday and make sure we’re ready to take care of business.”
Forward Larry Nance Jr. won’t be available for the Hawks against the Magic, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets. He’s still recovering from a right medial femoral condyle fracture.

Heat Notes: Play-In, Warriors’ Pick, Adebayo, Herro, Wiggins

April 12th, 2025 at 8:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat are locked into the East’s No. 10 seed as the play-in tournament approaches, but coach Erik Spoelstra is happy that his team will be part of the postseason at all, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. It’s been a difficult season in Miami, marked by a long dispute with Jimmy Butler before he was traded in February, and Spoelstra is ready for a fresh start.

“It’s the second season and this is something that I want everybody in the locker room, which they do have this, I want everybody to be appreciative of this opportunity,” Spoelstra said. “It could be something where you’re not even in the play-in or have an opportunity for this. We have an opportunity to win and move on to the next thing. I mean, this is exciting. This is great competition.”

The 10th-seeded Heat have to win two road games to reach the playoffs, starting Wednesday with the Bulls, who’ve beaten them in all three meetings this season. If Miami manages to pull out a victory at Chicago, the next obstacle will be the loser of the 7-8 game between Orlando and Atlanta.

“Win or go home. It’s like the NCAA Tournament. Anything can happen,” Bam Adebayo said. “You’ve seen teams in the tournament that got swept by a team in the regular season and you get that one shining moment and it’s a turnaround.”

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Miami fans will be keeping an eye on the Warriors as the season wraps up tomorrow, Chiang adds. The 2025 first-round pick that the Heat got from Golden State in the Butler deal is top-10 protected. The Warriors are tied with Minnesota for the league’s 10th-best record, so they would have to fall into the play-in tournament, get eliminated there and then land a top-four spot in the lottery to keep the pick from conveying.
Adebayo’s improvement as a three-point shooter has been a significant development, Chiang notes in a separate story. Adebayo went 4-of-6 from beyond the arc in Friday’s win over New Orleans and is now 50-of-115 (43.5%) in his last 34 games. “You’re always going to feel good when the shot is going in,” he said. “It’s just routine. I work on it pregame, obviously behind the scenes. Just seeing it go in, obviously defenses got to change up the coverages a little bit.”
With nothing at stake in Sunday’s game against Washington, Adebayo and Tyler Herro will be given the afternoon off to rest, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Andrew Wiggins, who returned Wednesday after missing five games with right hamstring tendinopathy, has also been declared out.

Heat Notes: Bulls Showdown, Adebayo, Ware, Herro, Burks

April 8th, 2025 at 12:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

The two teams are a combined 13 games under .500, but Heat coach Erik Spoelstra expects a playoff atmosphere when his team faces the Bulls on Wednesday night in Chicago, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

At minimum, the game will go a long way toward deciding who has home court advantage in the East’s 9-10 matchup in the play-in tournament. Miami is currently the 10th seed at 36-43, while Chicago is ninth at 36-42 going into a game tonight in Cleveland. Both teams also have a chance to pass Orlando or Atlanta and move into the 7-8 game.

“I think it’s a lot of fun,” Spoelstra said after Monday’s win over Philadelphia. “Nobody in our locker room is cynical enough to think otherwise. … This is what the league is right now. Just embrace it and enjoy it. This is going to be a great night. It’s going to feel like a playoff game and that’s fun.”

The Heat had larger aspirations when the season began, but they were derailed by injuries and a lingering dispute with Jimmy Butler that led to him being traded to Golden State in February. With the season winding down, the players are trying to put themselves in the best possible position to survive the play-in and earn a spot in the playoffs.

“We know what’s at stake,” Tyler Herro said. “It will be much harder to win two play-in games on the road as opposed to hopefully trying to get one at home.”

There’s more from Miami:

The Heat’s victory Monday night came without Bam Adebayo, as back spasms forced him to miss his third game of the season, Jackson adds in a separate story. Spoelstra said the issue began after Saturday’s game, and Adebayo is being considered “day to day.” Kel’el Ware moved into the starting lineup and tied a Heat single-game record for a rookie by grabbing 17 rebounds. Miami also got 20 points from Herro, who returned to action after sitting out Saturday with a thigh injury that he said was “still a little sore” when Monday’s game began. “As the game kept going, it loosened up a little bit more,” Herro added. “It feels good now. I will be ready to go against Chicago. I’m trying to play as many games as possible.”
In another piece, Jackson talks to a pair of longtime NBA scouts about several issues involving the Heat, including their assessment of who among Miami’s younger players has the brightest NBA future.
The Heat have asked Alec Burks to be flexible in his first season with the team as he fills in for various injured players, per Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Lately they’ve needed him to provide scoring, and he responded with a season-high 24 points on Saturday. “There aren’t a lot of guys, to be frank, that really are willing to sign up for this kind of role,” Spoelstra said. “We’re really appreciative of him, because he is that pro’s pro. He’s always ready, takes care of himself and he can produce in a lot of different kind of roles.”

Heat Notes: Wiggins, Herro, Arison, Tiebreakers

April 5th, 2025 at 6:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

There’s still no set timetable for Andrew Wiggins to return from right hamstring tendinopathy, but the Heat continue to hope that he’ll be back before the regular season ends, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Wiggins will miss his fifth straight game tonight due to the hamstring issue, and Chiang notes that it’s the 13th time he has been unavailable since he was acquired from Golden State in early February. He has also been sidelined by a stomach illness, a sprained right ankle and a lower left leg contusion.

In the 15 games he’s played since coming to Miami, Wiggins has been productive, averaging 19.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 46.5% from the field and 36.7% from three-point range. Miami has four games remaining after tonight and is locked in a tight battle for positioning for the play-in tournament. The Heat are tied with Chicago at 35-42, two games behind Orlando and one game back of Atlanta.

Chiang points out that Miami has won three of the four games Wiggins has missed because of the hamstring while using a starting lineup of Tyler Herro, Alec Burks, Pelle Larsson, Kel’el Ware and Bam Adebayo.

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Herro will miss tonight’s game due to a right thigh contusion he suffered in Thursday’s contest against Memphis, Chiang tweets. It will be the fourth time Herro has been unavailable this season. Haywood Highsmith is questionable with left Achilles soreness, while Isaiah Stevens is also questionable after hurting his right foot while warming up. “(Herro) was doing as much treatment as he could,” coach Erik Spoelstra said in a pre-game session with reporters (Twitter link). “You guys saw the play. It was on that fast break. He just had a contusion there. We’ll treat him day to day.”
Heat owner Micky Arison has been elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year as a finalist, Chiang adds in a separate story. The franchise has won three titles and reached the NBA Finals seven times during his 29-year tenure. “My management style is get the best people and let them go to work and don’t get in their way,” Arison said during today’s Hall of Fame press conference in San Antonio. “… I’m really uncomfortable being up here because I think the best owners are the most invisible owners and I’d rather be invisible than be up here.”
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reviews the Heat’s tiebreakers against the other three play-in teams and examines their chances of moving into the seventh or eighth seed.

Heat Notes: Herro, Wiggins, Robinson, Two-Ways, Butler

March 29th, 2025 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

After dropping 10 games in a row for the first time in 17 years, the Heat appear to have found their footing within the past week. They ended their losing streak on Sunday with a 17-point win over Charlotte, played spoiler in Jimmy Butler‘s return to Miami on Tuesday in a blowout victory over Golden State (story via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN), and won a third straight game on Thursday vs. Atlanta.

Entering Sunday’s game, Tyler Herro had been struggling with his efficiency since the trade deadline, making just 43.5% of his attempts from the floor – including only 27.9% of his three-pointers – during that 19-game stretch. But he has been on fire in these three victories, averaging 28.3 points per night on 67.4% shooting.

Head coach Erik Spoelstra had nothing but praise for Herro after he poured in 36 points on 13-of-17 shooting on Thursday against the Hawks, lauding the sixth-year guard for the way he has become more of a well-rounded offensive threat.

“Tyler was so efficient.” Spoelstra said, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “And the best part about it is he did this entire game mostly off the ball. I didn’t run one specific play for him. He got 36 just on the move, within the context of the game. He’s learning how to manipulate when guys are really being aggressive with him. He can be a great screener, he can play off the ball, he can back cut, he can do a lot of those different things. That’s great growth to see.”

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Heat forward Andrew Wiggins, who has already missed eight games due to ankle injury, a leg injury, and an illness since arriving in Miami last month, didn’t travel with the team for the start of its three-game road trip due to right hamstring tendinopathy, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Wiggins and forward Duncan Robinson, who is out with a back issue, have been ruled out for Saturday’s contest in Philadelphia but could join the team at some point on its road trip, which also includes games in Washington on Monday and Boston on Wednesday.
According to Spoelstra, Robinson’s back issue is unrelated to the one that sidelined him at the end of last season and isn’t as significant as that one was. “It’s different than last year,” Spoelstra said, per Jackson. “We think we will be able to manage it. We want to be responsible and give as much treatment and then appropriate ramp-up.”
After the Sioux Falls Skyforce – Miami’s G League affiliate – fell just short of qualifying for the NBAGL playoffs, Heat two-way players Josh Christopher and Isaiah Stevens, along with roster player Keshad Johnson, are rejoining the NBA team and will be prepared to play roles for the banged-up squad if needed, according to Jackson. “They’re ready,” Spoelstra said. “They just have to be plug and play if they do get an opportunity. The way things have gone with guys out, those minutes could be available. They’re ready physically, mentally, emotionally. Everybody is disappointed they didn’t make the playoffs but they made a heck of a run.”
Heat big man Bam Adebayo spoke to reporters this week about how he has handled his most trying stretch as the team’s captain. Chiang has the story and the quotes for the Herald.
Although the Heat got the best of the Warriors on Tuesday, columnist Omar Kelly of The Miami Herald argues that Butler still came out ahead in his divorce with Miami.

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Herro, Losing Streak, Wiggins, Riley

March 22nd, 2025 at 9:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat could be missing their two best players as they try to end a 10-game losing streak Sunday night against Charlotte, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Bam Adebayo is listed as questionable with a left knee sprain he suffered while setting a screen in Friday’s game against Houston. He had a sleeve on his left leg and walked with a limp on Saturday at the team’s annual Family Festival, according to Chiang. Tyler Herro was also banged up against the Rockets, suffering a contusion on his left hip, and he’s listed as questionable as well.

Although it’s been a down season for the Heat, their stars have been remarkably durable. Adebayo has appeared in 68 of the team’s first 70 games, while Herro has played in 67. The losing streak has dropped Miami 12 games below .500 at 29-41, but the team still has a comfortable five-game lead over Toronto in the race for the final play-in spot.

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The Heat would have to win all 12 of their remaining games to avoid their first losing season since 2018/19, Chiang states in a separate story. Chiang lists 10 low-lights from the losing streak, including the fact that Miami has been outscored by an average of 27.9 points per 100 possessions during the fourth quarter of the last 10 games. Since the streak began, they have fallen from the 14th-worst record in the league to the eighth-worst. “It’s a resilient team, tough-minded team to be able to keep on coming back and competing at a high level,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We all understand that we need to do more, particularly in these moments of truth. But it’s not from a lack of competition or spirit, and that’s not going to change with this group.”
The lone bright spot from Friday night was the return of Andrew Wiggins, who missed the previous two games with a lower leg contusion. Chiang notes that even though the contusion has healed, Wiggins is still dealing with the lingering effects of a sprained right ankle he suffered in late February. He played nearly 30 minutes on Friday and scored 30 points.
As Pat Riley turned 80 on Thursday, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel questioned whether the Heat’s longtime president can still attract top-level talent to Miami. Winderman contends that Riley’s only major acquisition of the last decade, apart from the draft, came when he traded for Jimmy Butler in 2019.

Southeast Notes: Risacher, Hornets, Lee, Isaac, Adebayo

March 22nd, 2025 at 11:42am CST by Tristan Tucker

Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher is making his case for Rookie of the Year honors with his recent play, Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Head coach Quin Snyder recognizes that the 19-year-old’s growth hasn’t and will not always be linear, but he has been an advocate for his rising player all year.

“I think it’s a strong case,” Snyder said. “You have to look beyond some of the quote, unquote numbers. Although, if you look at the progression, even in a statistical case, over the course of the season, it’s pretty impressive. That’s a credit to who he is, his talent and as a human being and his character, and he just embraces everything, whether that’s when he’s making shots or he’s not making shots. Defensively, he’s really a complete player, and he’s got a high ceiling.”

While Spurs guard Stephon Castle has emerged as the favorite for Rookie of the Year honors and Wizards big Alex Sarr might be ahead of Risacher too, the French wing’s improvement is notable and impressive. During his last 22 appearances, the No. 1 overall pick is averaging 14.4 points per game while shooting 45.5% from three (4.9 attempts). In his first 38 games, he averaged 10.5 PPG and shot 28.3% from three (4.2 attempts).

“You can’t be serious if you don’t have him in the Rookie of the Year conversation,” teammate Georges Niang said. “I think his progression throughout the year, especially on a team that is winning and trying to make the playoffs, I think it’s been impressive what he’s been able to do. And for sure, it wouldn’t be a surprise to me if he won Rookie of the Year because he truly deserves it.”

Risacher said it would mean a lot to him to win the award, but he’s firmly focused on improving and keeping Atlanta focused on the postseason.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

The Hornets are on the brink of being eliminated from the playoffs, which would extend the NBA’s longest active streak without a postseason appearance to nine years. However, as Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes, the Hornets are happy to play spoiler even if it doesn’t culminate in a playoff showing. “It just gives us confidence,” Miles Bridges said. “It gives us confidence knowing we can play how we want to when we are semi-healthy. Just imagine when we are fully healthy.“
Hornets head coach Charles Lee has taken a long-term outlook when discussing Charlotte’s ability to be competitive. He isn’t losing his cool during post-game news conferences, Boone writes in another story. “Human nature is to try to find the negatives, try to find the wrongs,” Lee said. “And that’s the easy thing to do. It’s the easy way to find some comfort. And the place that I like to live and the place that we like to live is finding the positives and what are the growth areas we have seen.”
Magic forward Jonathan Isaac is seeing limited minutes after renegotiating his contract last offseason to increase his 2024/25 salary and tack on four extra years. Isaac didn’t play in the second half of Wednesday’s game against the Rockets, the Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede writes. “As we’re looking at these games as playoff-type ‘win the next game,’ you’ve got to look at matchups,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. Isaac is averaging 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 0.9 steals in 15.5 minutes per game this season, though his 62 appearances are his most since 2018/19.
The Heat‘s current 10-game losing streak is one of the longest in franchise history. Regardless, Bam Adebayo appears to not be losing hope for the rest of the season with the team still in position to make the play-in tournament. “You can’t let go of the rope now,” Adebayo said, per HoopsHype (Twitter link). “To me, being a quitter is in your character — and I’m not a quitter.“

Heat Notes: Losing Streak, Wiggins, Starting Lineup, Rozier, Draft Pick

March 19th, 2025 at 11:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat are in the midst of their longest losing streak in 17 years after falling to the Pistons on Wednesday on Cade Cunningham‘s last-second shot (Twitter video link), writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Cunningham banked in a three-pointer shortly before the buzzer, enabling Detroit to escape with a 116-113 victory in a game that Miami led most of the way.

“There’s no way to explain some of this, the bank shot at the end,” coach Erik Spoelstra said after his team suffered its ninth straight loss. “There’s no way to explain that. You just have to find more resolve. We’re all getting tested in so many different ways that we do not want to get tested.”

Although the Heat still aren’t in serious danger of falling out of the play-in tournament, they have dropped to 10th place at 29-40. Their schedule doesn’t get any easier as the Rockets, who are second in the West, visit on Friday. After hosting the Hornets on Sunday, they will welcome Jimmy Butler back to the Kaseya Center in Tuesday’s matchup with the Warriors.

There’s more from Miami:

Andrew Wiggins, who was the centerpiece of the Heat’s return in the Butler trade, sat out Wednesday’s game with a lower left leg contusion and has only played in 11 of 19 games since the deal, Chiang adds. He’s put up decent numbers when he has been available — averaging 18.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting 42.2% from the field and 30.9% from three-point range — but Miami is just 2-9 in those games. “He’s had some really good moments already,” Spoelstra said. “You can see the firepower he brings and the versatility that he brings to us defensively. And we have who we have tonight. He’s not available, but we definitely could use him.”
With Wiggins out, Spoelstra used his 22nd different starting lineup, per Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. It marked the first time this season that Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Duncan Robinson and Jaime Jaquez have been on the court together. Terry Rozier wasn’t used at all, getting his fourth DNP-CD in the last 14 games.
In a separate story, Chiang talks to Bobby Marks of ESPN about the Heat’s draft pick dilemma. Miami’s first-rounder will go to Oklahoma City if the Heat reach the playoffs and it lands outside the top 14. However, if Miami keeps the pick this year, it will owe the Thunder an unprotected first-round selection in 2026. Marks’ advice is for the Heat to try to earn a playoff spot and count on improving next season.

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