Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo shared that he doesn’t want the team’s season to go to “s—” for the sake of the young players on the roster.
The three-time All-Star also believes that if everybody is on the same page, the Heat can still win this season.
“We can’t let this season go to s— for the young guys,” Adebayo told Andscape. “I look at ’em because young guys are trying to get a job. Guys are trying to be something in this league and it’s like you can’t let the outside noise distract that. But for me, it’s really getting everybody at the same page and understand that we can still win.”
Miami’s 2024-25 campaign has been marred by trade rumors surrounding superstar Jimmy Butler. While the six-time All-Star would like to be traded, it was recently reported that he is “fully prepared” to return to play for Miami if he is not dealt.
The Heat recently suspended Butler for seven games for conduct detrimental to the team.
Jimmy Butler is “fully prepared” to return to play for the Heat if he is not traded by the time his suspension is lifted, per @ChrisBHaynes pic.twitter.com/Lob0hhsWuy
— Heat Nation (@HeatNationCom) January 14, 2025
The Heat are still the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference at this point in the season, but they are just two games over .500.
Adebayo also hasn’t played the best basketball of his career, and he could help get the team on track if he starts shooting the ball at a higher level.
So far this season, the star center is averaging 16.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 28.7 percent from 3.
Adebayo is averaging his fewest points per game since the 2020-21 season, and he’s posted his worst field goal percentage of his career so far in the 2024-25 campaign. Adebayo is shooting nearly seven percent worse than last season when he shot 52.1 percent from the field.
Despite Adebayo’s struggles, it’s clear that he wants to be a leader for the Heat to make sure that they give their young players a chance to thrive. If that happens, Miami may find a diamond in the rough that could help it salvage this season – regardless of Butler’s status with the franchise.
The Heat will look to get back in the win column on Wednesday night when they take on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
