Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat dribbles during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on December 18, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Sarah Stier Getty Images
The Miami Heat needs three-time All-Star center Bam Adebayo on the court, but the Heat also needs Adebayo to be the best version of himself.
So after Adebayo tried to play through nagging injuries to make himself available for the team but struggled to produce at his usual level, the Heat made the decision to keep Adebayo out and give him some time to rest his body and recover. Adebayo missed his second straight game in Saturday night’s 142-116 win over the Indiana Pacers at Kaseya Center with lower back soreness.
“He really needed this time,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Saturday when asked about Adebayo’s absence. “He was dealing with some deals because of overcompensation. I think he’s feeling a lot better each day.”
But it appears that two games is all Adebayo needs to miss, as he has been upgraded to probable for Monday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets (22-9) and three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jovic at Kaseya Center (7:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun).
But Adebayo admits he had been dealing with and playing through bothersome injuries “for a while now.”
“It just finally got to a point where I had to sit down,” Adebayo, 28, said. “Sit and rest. I mean, that’s really what it was. It was one of those nagging injuries. So I finally had to sit down.”
While Adebayo’s injury has been labeled as “lower back soreness” by the Heat during this two-game absence, he has been dealing with more than just a back ailment.
“It wasn’t always the back. It just crept up to the back,” Adebayo said of the injuries he has been battling.
Adebayo’s recent struggles on both ends of the court is a reflection of how his body was feeling.
Adebayo averaged just 11.8 points per game on 18-of-48 (37.5 percent) shooting from the field in his last four games before the decision was made for him to miss some time. Adebayo is averaging his fewest points since his third NBA season at 18 points per game this season, and he’s also shooting a career-low 46.6 percent from the field in his ninth NBA season.
“I think it goes hand in hand, but more so shots not falling,” Adebayo said when asked if the injuries have led to his diminished production over the last few weeks. “I’m not going to make an excuse because I was hurt of why I didn’t make shots. That makes no sense. If I’m healthy enough to play, then I play. So that’s no excuse. I’ll say it was just shots not falling. It’s a long season. We’re going to go through ups and downs. We’re going to go through slumps and get back in the groove.”
While Adebayo has been out, the Heat seems to have found a bit of a groove.
When Adebayo went out, the Heat had dropped eight of its last nine games. But the Heat has since won two straight games — Friday against the Hawks in Atlanta and Saturday against the Pacers in Miami — while Adebayo has been sidelined.
In Saturday’s win over the Pacers, the Heat set a new franchise record with 83 second-half points for the highest-scoring second half in team history.
Miami also reached the 140-point mark on Saturday for the league-leading sixth time this season. Six of the 14 times that the Heat has reached the 140-point mark in franchise history have already come this season.
“I’m happy for the team, obviously,” Adebayo said. “Being able to just communicate, be in the huddles, and be part of the success.”
While Adebayo is expected to return on Monday, Heat starting guard Tyler Herro will miss his eighth straight game and his 10th game in the last 11 games with a right big toe contusion. In addition, the Heat will remain without Vlad Goldin (G League), Terry Rozier (not with team) and Jahmir Young (G League) against the Nuggets.
“It’s the NBA,” Adebayo said. “Guys always try to play through things. And when they can’t, sit down and rest.”