Latest on Adebayo and Butler’s status for Heat’s matchup vs. Lakers. Also, LeBron watch is on
The Miami Heat might get Bam Adebayo and/or Jimmy Butler back for Wednesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. Or the Heat might again have to find a way to win without both of them.
The good news for the Heat (17-17) is Adebayo (right shoulder sprain) and Butler (right ankle sprain) returned to take part in Tuesday’s practice at FTX Arena as limited participants. They’re both listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Lakers (7:30 p.m., Bally Sports Sun and NBA TV) to close the Heat’s four-game homestand.
Adebayo missed Monday’s win against the Minnesota Timberwolves because of a non-COVID illness, but it’s now a shoulder injury that has his status in question for Wednesday’s contest. Adebayo has missed four games this season.
Butler missed Monday’s victory after spraining his right ankle in Friday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers. He has already missed 13 games this season.
While Adebayo and Butler could return on Wednesday, centers Dewayne Dedmon (left foot plantar fasciitis) and Omer Yurtseven (left ankle surgery) have already been ruled out for the Heat’s game against the Lakers. Their absences are expected to keep two-way contract center Orlando Robinson in the Heat’s rotation.
Dedmon, who has been battling a case of plantar fasciitis for most of the season, will miss his third game in a row because of the foot issue. Wednesday marks the seventh game that Dedmon has missed this season with plantar fasciitis, but this three-game stretch is the first time this season it has forced him to sit out consecutive games with the Heat hoping an extended break could help him in his recovery.
“There’s no point in resting him if we’re going to be right back to where he is where we’re managing it every single day,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Dedmon following Tuesday’s practice. “He would like to put it behind him. I don’t know necessarily if he’ll be able to fully put it behind him the way Gabe [Vincent] did with a week or two weeks rest. But our hope is that it will be a lot better than it was.”
Along with Dedmon and Yurtseven, Heat guard Kyle Lowry also didn’t practice Tuesday with an excused absence due to personal reasons. Lowry is expected to be available to play on Wednesday against the Lakers.
The rest of the Heat’s roster was able to participate in Tuesday’s practice in some capacity, even though Udonis Haslem (right Achilles tendinosis) and Gabe Vincent (left knee effusion) are also listed as questionable and Caleb Martin (left ankle sprain) is probable for Wednesday’s game.
The Heat has been battling injury issues throughout the first two-plus months of the season. Miami entered Tuesday with the second-most missed games (129 games) among NBA teams due to injuries this season, according to Spotrac.
“That’s the deal. Some years you have more of this than other years,” Spoelstra said. “For the most part last year, other than that stretch in January, we were healthy. We were one of the more healthy teams over the course of the regular season. Two years ago, we weren’t. This year, we haven’t been so far. It could change, it might not change. You just have to deal with whatever is thrown your way and you have to consistently make progress. That’s the challenge when you have guys in and out. Are you improving as a team and not using it as an excuse? And our group is not making any excuses for it.”
LEBRON WATCH
It remains to be determined whether Lakers superstar LeBron James will play in Miami against his former team, with the Lakers facing the Heat on Wednesday on the second night of a back-to-back set. The Lakers open the back-to-back against the Magic in Orlando on Tuesday night.
In the Lakers’ last two back-to-backs, James played in the first game but was held out on the back end. James has played in both games of a back-to-back just once this season.
But in James’ 20th season, he’s still elite. James, who turns 38 on Friday, entered Tuesday averaging 27.8 points while shooting 49.6 percent from the field, 8.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game this season.
“It’s crazy,” said Spoelstra, who was James’ head coach during his four seasons with the Heat from 2010 to 2014. “He’s redefining what’s possible with human performance. The way he looks, it looks like he’s the Tom Brady of the NBA, that he could just keep on going. His athleticism is still there. But if he ever only had to rely on his brain, he could play until he’s 50 and still be effective and move the needle.”
While James’ status is still up in the air, the Lakers will definitely be without their other star against the Heat on Wednesday. Anthony Davis remains out with a right foot injury.
This story was originally published December 27, 2022 at 3:55 PM.
