The Miami Herald’s Heat mailbag is here to answer your questions. If you weren’t able to ask this time, send your questions for future mailbags via X (@Anthony_Chiang). You can also email them to achiang@miamiherald.com.
@KellyLinters22: I know the Heat are muted on injury updates, but where do things stand with Bam Adebayo? Has he practiced at all? Is this a long-term injury like we see with Darius Garland in Cleveland? And when he is back, does Kel’el Ware shift back to the bench?
Anthony Chiang: It was encouraging to see Heat center Bam Adebayo doing some work after Tuesday’s practice. He was out of the walking boot and going through some mobility and conditioning work. While there has been no definitive timetable offered by the team, the belief is this is not an injury that’s going to keep Adebayo out for a significant amount of time and the worst was avoided.
But early in the season, the Heat will take the prudent approach and be patient with Adebayo to make sure this injury doesn’t become a bigger problem down the road. The fact that Miami has gone 3-1 during the first four games that Adebayo has missed certainly helps.
As far as what will happen to center Kel’el Ware when Adebayo returns, it seems like Ware will move back to a backup center role. It appears the Heat will try the small five-out starting lineup of Davion Mitchell, Pelle Larsson, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins and Adebayo, considering this is the group that was starting when Adebayo hurt his toe in Denver on Nov. 5.
@DavidKWelch1: When will the light bulb go on for Nikola Jovic to be consistent at his craft?
Anthony: The Heat hopes it’s soon, especially since it just committed a four-year, $62.4 extension to him last month. Whether it has been due to injuries or just uneven play, Jovic has struggled to string together a bunch of quality performances during his three-plus seasons in the NBA.
The best sustained stretch of Jovic’s young NBA career actually came last season after he was moved to a bench role. He logged double-digit minutes in 31 straight regular-season games, averaging 12 points, four rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 45.3% from the field and 37.8% on threes during that two-month span before a broken right hand put an end to that momentum.
The skilled 6-foot-10 Jovic continues to provide enough glimpses to intrigue, though, as he just totaled a career-high 29 points on Saturday. But he has also scored single-digit points in eight of the Heat’s first 12 games this season.
There’s no doubt that the next step for Jovic is to find game-to-game consistency and become a more reliable player. But let’s remember, Jovic is still only 22 years old.