Miami Heat's Dewayne Dedmon Filling the Void in the Middle

Miami Heat center Dewayne Dedmon had arguably one of the best games of his career Saturday against the Chicago Bulls.
He scored 20 points on 8 of 13 shooting and had 12 rebounds. Dedmon, a backup, has filled in as the starter since Bam Adebayo underwent thumb surgery. The injury is expected to keep him out six weeks.
“I always feel like I can play in the starting role, bench role, whatever it is," Dedmon said. "I’m just out here playing my game, just having fun and playing basketball. It definitely helps to get in a rhythm. The more minutes you get, it helps with your play and it helps with your confidence. So it definitely feels good to be out there and play.”
Dedmon attributed his success against the Bulls to point guard Kyle Lowry, who had 14 assists and also 16 points.
“We are just kind of figuring it out as we go along," Dedmon said. "Kyle is a very unselfish player, so anytime somebody is open, he’s going to find you. The pocket pass was working tonight, so that’s what we did.”
Added Lowry, "We are missing Jimmy, Bam, Markieff and Victor, so we have to find ways to adapt and adjust."
The Heat return to action Monday at the Cleveland Cavaliers. It is the start of a four-game road trip that includes stops in Philadelphia, Orlando and Detroit.
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Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here