Heat center Bam Adebayo has officially exited the league’s health and safety protocols and is expected to be available against the Hawks in Miami’s playoff opener on Sunday, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweets.
Adebayo entered the COVID-19 protocols on April 10 and coach Erik Spoelstra indicated on Friday that he expected his starting center to clear them this weekend.
This is obviously a major development in the series, particularly since the Hawks could be without center Clint Capela, who suffered a knee injury during the play-in victory over Cleveland on Friday. Adebayo averaged 22.5 PPG, 6.o RPG and 4.5 APG in two games against Atlanta this season.
For the season, Adebayo averaged a career-best 19.1 PPG, 10.1 RPG and 3.4 APG in 56 games. He hasn’t played since April 8, when Miami defeated Atlanta by four points.