What Bam Adebayo's return to the lineup means for Heat-Hawks series

Miami Heat fans let out a huge sigh of relief on Saturday.

After a long five days, Bam Adebayo is officially out of the NBA’s health and safety protocols and will be available for Sunday’s Game 1 between Miami and Atlanta.

Bam’s availability is unquestionably important for the No. 1 seeded Heat when they begin their series against the Hawks.

For starters, Adebayo is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate — his on-court presence and defensive versatility will be needed against the individual greatness of Trae Young and the collective excellence that is the Atlanta Hawks’ offense (NBA’s No. 2 offense during the regular season).

Then there’s Bam’s potential impact on the offensive end.

Already a top-8 scorer in points in the paint (13.0 per game), Adebayo has a chance to wreak havoc on Atlanta’s interior, which will likely be without Clint Capela, who exited in the first half of Friday’s play-in game vs. Cleveland with a knee injury and didn’t return. Capela’s absence on Sunday would leave the Hawks with an ultra-thin and undersized rotation at the center position, leaving the paint open and many rebounds up for grabs — so keep an eye on those Adebayo rebounding props.

All in all, the news comes at just the right time. We saw on Friday with the LA Clippers and Paul George just how impactful COVID-19 could be on a team’s postseason chances.

No. 1 Miami has +380 odds of winning the East at Tipico Sportsbook and its path to doing so begins with the getting through the Hawks.

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