Is Bam Adebayo playing tonight against the Nuggets? Latest injury update on Heat's center ahead of the matchup (9th June 2023)
Bam Adebayo will be in action in Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat.
Adebayo has not missed a single game in the 2023 NBA playoffs. However, he has been battling injuries throughout this entire time.
Because Bam Adebayo will be wearing a compression shirt tonight for shoulder discomfort, he has been added to Heat injury report, listed as available.
Adebayo has been seen wearing a long shoulder sleeve. Ira Winderman reported that once a player starts to experience some discomfort for which they use compression, they will be placed on a closer watch in terms of the injury list.
Heat again listing Tyler Herro (hand) and Victor Oladipo (knee) as out for Friday's Game 4 vs. Nuggets. Rest of injury report has Bam Adebayo (shoulder), Gabe Vincent (ankle), Cody Zeller (nasal fracture) as available. Lowry, who slipped at end of Game 3, not on injury report.
Bam Adebayo has been battling discomfort in his shoulder all through these playoffs. He has taken on a big defensive role throughout the playoffs guarding players like Giannis Antetokoumpo, Julius Randle, Jasum Tatum, and now Nikola Jokic. He has also carried a big offensive load, as he is Miami Heat's second scoring option. Adebayo has averaged 17.7 points per game so far in the playoffs.
Is Bam Adebayo playing better in the 2023 NBA Finals than he did in the 2020 NBA Finals?
Bam Adebayo is 25 years old and stands at a towering 6-foot-9. Despite being fairly young, he has now been a part of two NBA Finals with the Miami Heat.
Adebayo has averaged 16.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in his 18 games in the 2023 playoffs. Adebayo has scored 20+ points in all three games of the NBA Finals so far. He has also been in double digits in rebounds in two of the three games.
Despite these numbers, the Miami Heat find themselves down 2-1 in the NBA Finals vs. the Denver Nuggets. This is the same spot that the Heat were in 2020 vs the LA Lakers. The Lakers had a 2-1 lead over the Heat and then went on to win 4-2.
The good news is that Adebayo is available and playing against the Nuggets. Back in 2020, Adebayo was forced to miss two games against the Lakers. In the four games that he did play, he averaged 15.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. By these standards, Adebayo is having a much better finals than he did back in 2020. However, if he and his team fail to win, the numbers will not help his case much.
Bam is in the middle of a very close NBA Finals series. His team, Miami Heat, is down 2-1 and they will need all his attention and focus if they want to defeat the Denver Nuggets.