Inside The Heat

NBA Analyst Makes Stunning Declaration About Miami Heat Star

Zach Lowe says Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo will "never be a top 10-to-15 player."
Alex Toledo|
Dec 2, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Heat players (left to right) center Bam Adebayo (13), guard Tyler Herro (14), guard Terry Rozier (2) and forward Duncan Robinson (55) sit on the bench during the fourth quarter of their loss to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Dec 2, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Heat players (left to right) center Bam Adebayo (13), guard Tyler Herro (14), guard Terry Rozier (2) and forward Duncan Robinson (55) sit on the bench during the fourth quarter of their loss to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat

With the Miami Heat's season over, analysts around the league are questioning what's left of the roster that lost in the debilitating sweep against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Including NBA analyst Zach Lowe. On a recent episode of his podcast, Lowe said that Adebayo's postseason underperformance reflected his typical output.

"This is what Bam is," Lowe said. "The Heat need him to score 25, 27, 28 a game. It’s not going to happen. That’s just not what he’s going to be and that’s fine. Different players can do different things. He's never going to be a top 10-to-15 player for the most part because of that. He's still awesome, and you just need to realize that."

The three-time All-Star averaged 17.5 points, 11 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in the series. Although they were still outscored by almost 25 points per 100 possessions in the series when Adebayo was on the floor, they were outscored by about 64 when he wasn't. Additionally, for all of the (valid) concerns with his offensive limitations, their offensive rating was 28 points better with him playing.

"Everybody knows I love Bam. He's a winner. Bu he was not good enough in this series," Lowe said. "17 points a game, 44% shooting, not good enough, not assertive enough. It wouldn't have mattered and, at some point, everybody just let go of the rope and he's going to have series where he's not, he doesn't give them enough offensively."

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Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at toledoalexander22@gmail.com. Twitter: @tropicalblanket

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Alex Toledo
ALEX TOLEDO

Alex, who was born in Miami, is also a producer, co-host and reporter for the Five on the Floor podcast. He has covered the Heat and NBA since 2019 as a season credential holder. He studied journalism at Florida International University.