Miami Heat starting lineup: Ranking all five starters

2. Bam Adebayo, power forward / center

The Miami Heat went to the Kentucky well in two different drafts, taking both Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro in the late lottery in 2017 and 2019. Herro looks like a rising star, the team’s point guard of the future. Adebayo, the 6’9″ versatile big man, is already a star.

He made the All-Star team a year ago as he exploded from useful role player to elite starter. He raised his per-game scoring average from 8.9 to 15.9, tacking on 10.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists. He was also a force defensively, with the speed to provide weakside rim protection and the lateral agility to defend on the perimeter. He received a well-deserved All-Defense nod as well.

His strong play did not falter in the postseason, as he shut down the Milwaukee Bucks inside, and then tore apart the Boston Celtics and poor Daniel Theis offensively. While he did not come out the victor, he battled toe-to-toe with Anthony Davis in the NBA Finals. Adebayo is ready to be a star, and the Heat rewarded him with a max rookie extension worth up to $195 million.

The only question for the Heat is whether to start Adebayo at the 4 or the 5. The best version of the Heat is with Adebayo at the pivot, bringing in another wing player, but the Heat are most likely to conserve Adebayo for the postseason by starting him at power forward. He has the lateral quickness to guard smaller 4s and can bully them down low. If his midrange jumper can extend out behind the arc, the Heat become even that much more deadly.