Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo Ranked Among 25 Best Players

Adebayo averaged 18.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.7 blocks in 2024-2025, while converting on 48.5 percent of his field goals and 35.7 percent of his threes.

In the playoffs, Adebayo averaged 17.5 points, (converting on just 43.8 percent of his shots and 33.3 percent of his threes),11.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and a steal in the Heat's historic first-round beatdown.

Previously, Adebayo was ranked 18th in ESPN's 2024 rankings. Interestingly enough, his former longtime teammate Jimmy Butler was ranked 28th heading into last season, and ended up 18th this year.

Here's what ESPN's Ohym Youngmisuk had to say about the eight-year veteran.

"Bounced out of the first round for two straight seasons (including an embarrassing sweep by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the spring), Miami is ready for a reset. Having turned the page from Jimmy Butler III, Miami looks to Adebayo to lead a retooled team and get the Heat's culture back on track. With Norman Powell, Kasparas Jakucionis and Simone Fontecchio on board to help Tyler Herro on offense, Adebayo will seek to return to being the player he was the previous two seasons when he helped Miami reach the NBA Finals in 2023 and was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, All-Star and defensive first-teamer in 2024. -- Youngmisuk"

"Signature stat: Adebayo took 221 3s last season, up from 104 in his first seven seasons combined, and shot 44% from 3 over the final 36 games."

"Fantasy projection: 18.8 PTS, 9.9 REB, 4.3 AST"

Can Norman Powell prove ESPN wrong?

No matter what format the NBA uses, only 24 players make one of the All-Star teams.

While a member of the Los Angeles Clippers last season, Norman Powell was widely considered to be a candidate for one of those 24 spots. In fact, it was somewhat controversial when he didn't, with some caling it a "snub."

And yet, when ESPN released its ranking of NBA players entering this season, starting with 100 down to 51, the now-Miami Heat guard showed up far down the list.

All the way down at #82.

That's better than prior to last season, when Powell was unranked. But after he averaged 21.8 points about excellent efficiency? Seems a bit disrespectful, even as the commentary about him was positive.

Powell had his best season in his 10th year, when he turned 32. You don't see that often. He thrived in the hole created by Paul George's departure from the Clippers; he is known for being one of the league's hardest workers; and he has turned himself into a multi-faceted offensive weapon. The Heat picked him up on the relative cheap in trade because the Clippers didn't want to pay him, but that might create huge motivation for a big season.

Signature stat: Last season, Powell led the NBA in points per touch and ranked second in eFG% on jumpers (min. 500 attempts).

Fantasy projection: 22.0 PTS, 3.4 REB, 2.0 AST

Powell is one of three Heat players (the others were Andrew Wiggins and Tyler Herro) who show up in the bottom 50 of the list. Bam Adebayo will certainly fall in the top 50.

ESPN has Powell one spot below Indiana's Andrew Nembhard, who figures to get a pop in production due to Indiana losing Tyrese Haliburton to injury; several spots behind two players (Cam Johnson and Michael Porter Jr.) who were traded for each other, but didn't have a 2024-25 season nearly as strong as Powell just did: and 20 spots behind Denver's Christian Braun, who improved last season but didn't put up anything close to Powell's numbers in a much smaller role.'

And he is 28 spots behind Paul George, even though he outplayed George by a wide margin last season after George left for Philadelphia, and the Clippers seemed better for George's absence, as Powell picked up his scoring slack.

Powell will get a chance to prove everyone wrong, especially with Herro out more than a month of the season due to ankle surgery. If he does, he will be valued based on his next contract, as his current one expires following the season.

- Brian Windhorst

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