With 2023 now among us, this year will be a major turning point for various teams trying desperately to turn their fate around come play-in and playoff time. Before the final months of action, various players from both conferences will see if they’ve earned the privilege and honor to participate in the annual NBA All-Star game. This year, in Salt Lake City, some new faces will pop up as they make their mark in February.
One of those new faces that should return to the All-Star game should be Miami Heat big guy, Bam Adebayo. Adebayo seems to have gone drastically under the radar this season and that all falls on Miami’s early struggles as a team. But his production on the court should not go unnoticed as he has shown pure dominance as one of the most versatile big men in the Eastern Conference.
Adebayo has been averaging 21.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game so far this season. Just shy of the double-double, his impact defensively has also been a significant improvement for this Heat resurgence.
In this 11-game span, he and Tyler Herro are each averaging an efficient 24 points a night, bringing more life to this Heat team in this recent 8-3 run.
Bam keeps evolving pic.twitter.com/NGaLbBBPAe
— Mink Flow (@currypistonn) January 3, 2023
With Jimmy Butler missing 14 games, Adebayo has taken on more of a leadership role to help gain traction in this already tight Eastern Conference race. Miami now sits one game out of the top 6 only trailing the Pacers at this point.
With Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokoumpo destined to be selected as the first two big guys in the Eastern All-Star selection, Adebayo has been making a solid case for his 2nd All-Star selection. His first one was back in 2020 when both he and Jimmy Butler were chosen for the honor.
The only other candidates that stand out forcing some competition to Miami’s cornerstone player are the Washington Wizards’ Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks’ Julius Randle, and Toronto Raptors’ Pascal Siakam.
Porzingis has been acclimating to his new team after last year’s trade and with his full season in play, he has been exactly what Bradley Beal needed down in the post. This year he has been averaging 22.4 points per game, 8,9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while adding a dangerous three to the mix. The only issue is they are slipping in the standings, falling to 10th and are currently a play-in scenario type of team.
New York’s Julius Randle is also another threat to possibly leave Adebayo out of the festivities come February. His 22.5 points per game have the Knicks somewhat relevant again in the East and are now inching closer to Miami for a top 6 spot. He is also aiming towards a double-double average with 9.1 rebounds per game, but still maintains a step behind Adebayo in this current run.
The final competition is Pascal Siakam who has always been a dominant figure in Toronto since the 2019 championship year. He currently averages 25 points per game along with 8.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists. Siakam is probably the one name that tops the list out of the 4, including Adebayo, but their team’s efforts and record won’t be enough to surge him to a guaranteed selection.
Adebayo has shown improvement year after year and this latest month has been a true testament to that. The Heat rely 100% on his success for them to climb into the top 5 and without him, they could fall flat. With his overall athletic abilities combined with Miami’s latest run, I think he deserves a spot come February. That’s if nothing else changes.