Who Will Replace Injured Bam Adebayo in the Heat Line-up? Looking at Options for Jimmy Butler and Co

Miami Heat announced that Bam Adebayo will not play in the Wednesday night face-off against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The center, who sustained a hip bruise, did take part in the team’s morning shoot-around. However, he began to feel discomfort afterward and chose to rest after consultation with the medical staff. This is the second game he will be missing this season due to the injury. To offset his absence from the line-up, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra shared with ESPN that he will count on backups Thomas Bryant and Orlando Robinson. But now we know that the Heat also has a permanent solution in mind.

Nikola Jovic is set to join Miami

As per reports by Ira Winderman, the Serbian was set to play for the Heat after his stint in the G-league. The 20-year-old was sent to Miami’s affiliate Sioux Falls Skyforce as part of the ‘development process‘. After the team’s tip-off against the Windy City Bulls, Jovic could join Miami to continue the rest of the season.

After being drafted into the team in 2022 as a late first-round pick, Jovic has played a few games where he showed his skills. This season, however, he played just two games before being shipped off. “He needs to play. That’s the most important thing. We’re right here. I’d like to get him a few games. This’ll be a shorter stint. We’ll evaluate and go from there,” shared coach Erik Spoelstra about his young prospect. Jovic has spoken up about his wish to play for Heat and it looks like it may finally come true.

Bam Adebayo on Nikola Jovic

Before his regular season debut with the Miami Heat, Jovic played five preseason games. He averaged nearly 10 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. This was enough to impress Adebayo. The center told Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman, “Man, the thing I like about young fella, he’s a hooper. He’s one of those guys, he figures it out as he goes. And that’s the thing I’ve learned about him so far. Like throwing him in the first unit, he looked like he was comfortable with us.”

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Jimmy Butler, who has been following the 20-year-old’s time in the G-League, added that he could contribute immensely to the team and the organization. The 6x NBA All-Star added that Jovic plays like a veteran and is looking forward to seeing him on the team.

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With Jovic rejoining the main team, will we see a glimpse of the potential he’s sows to impress his teammates? Let us know your thoughts on him in the comments.