Andrew Wiggins

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Herro, Losing Streak, Wiggins, Riley

March 22nd, 2025 at 9:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat could be missing their two best players as they try to end a 10-game losing streak Sunday night against Charlotte, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Bam Adebayo is listed as questionable with a left knee sprain he suffered while setting a screen in Friday’s game against Houston. He had a sleeve on his left leg and walked with a limp on Saturday at the team’s annual Family Festival, according to Chiang. Tyler Herro was also banged up against the Rockets, suffering a contusion on his left hip, and he’s listed as questionable as well.

Although it’s been a down season for the Heat, their stars have been remarkably durable. Adebayo has appeared in 68 of the team’s first 70 games, while Herro has played in 67. The losing streak has dropped Miami 12 games below .500 at 29-41, but the team still has a comfortable five-game lead over Toronto in the race for the final play-in spot.

There’s more from Miami:

The Heat would have to win all 12 of their remaining games to avoid their first losing season since 2018/19, Chiang states in a separate story. Chiang lists 10 low-lights from the losing streak, including the fact that Miami has been outscored by an average of 27.9 points per 100 possessions during the fourth quarter of the last 10 games. Since the streak began, they have fallen from the 14th-worst record in the league to the eighth-worst. “It’s a resilient team, tough-minded team to be able to keep on coming back and competing at a high level,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We all understand that we need to do more, particularly in these moments of truth. But it’s not from a lack of competition or spirit, and that’s not going to change with this group.”
The lone bright spot from Friday night was the return of Andrew Wiggins, who missed the previous two games with a lower leg contusion. Chiang notes that even though the contusion has healed, Wiggins is still dealing with the lingering effects of a sprained right ankle he suffered in late February. He played nearly 30 minutes on Friday and scored 30 points.
As Pat Riley turned 80 on Thursday, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel questioned whether the Heat’s longtime president can still attract top-level talent to Miami. Winderman contends that Riley’s only major acquisition of the last decade, apart from the draft, came when he traded for Jimmy Butler in 2019.

Injury Notes: Thompson, Wiggins, Zion, Hornets, Flagg

March 21st, 2025 at 6:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Rockets wing Amen Thompson will return on Friday vs. Miami and will immediately reenter the team’s starting lineup, head coach Ime Udoka said today (Twitter link via Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle). Thompson won’t be on a minutes restriction after missing the past six games due to a sprained ankle.

Besides being good news for the Rockets, who are vying for playoff position and currently control the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, Thompson’s return bodes well for his end-of-season award eligibility. He’ll reach the 65-game minimum if he plays at least 20 minutes in seven more games — Houston has 12 left on its schedule.

Thompson looks like a solid candidate to receive consideration for Most Improved Player and All-Defensive honors this spring.

Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:

Heat forward Andrew Wiggins is returning on Friday vs. Houston after missing two games with a leg contusion. He had originally been listed as questionable with an ankle impingement. Head coach Erik Spoelstra said the team will be “mindful” of Wiggins’ minutes in his first game back, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter links).
Pelicans forward Zion Williamson will be inactive on Friday vs. Minnesota due to a low back contusion, according to the team (Twitter link). Although Williamson has been fairly healthy for the past two-plus months, he has appeared in just 30 total games so far this season.
The Hornets have ruled out several players on the second end of a back-to-back set in Oklahoma City on Friday, including LaMelo Ball (right ankle injury management) and Mark Williams (left foot injury management), both of whom played key roles in Thursday’s win over New York. Marcus Garrett, who has played rotation minutes over the past four games, is listed as “not with team” on the final night of his 10-day contract.
It’s not an NBA injury, but Duke star Cooper Flagg said ahead of the team’s NCAA tournament opener that he’s “pain-free” after injuring his ankle last Thursday against Georgia Tech (story via David Hale of ESPN). The projected No. 1 overall pick for the 2025 draft didn’t have to play a ton on Friday, as the Blue Devils rolled to a 93-49 win over No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary’s. Flagg had 14 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in 22 minutes.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Wiggins, Da Silva, Wizards

March 20th, 2025 at 7:14pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Heat are on pace to finish with one of their worst seasons in franchise history (their .420 win percentage would be seventh-worst). Their struggles this season stem in part from their inability to close games in the fourth quarter, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.

Miami owns the third-worst record in clutch games at 13-23 this season. As a result, the Heat have dropped nine games in a row and are 11 games under .500 with only 13 contests left to play.

“That’s the thing that we’ve been racking our time, our brains, everything, trying to find solutions for that,” coach Erik Spoelstra said about the late-game issues. “We have not come up with solutions, and we’ve pretty much tried everything. This has been one of the biggest challenges of a regular season that I’ve been a part of.”

Miami has blown a double-digit lead in 19 of their losses and have squandered a fourth-quarter lead in 17 losses, a league high. One key difference between the Heat’s performance in the clutch this season versus the last few is the absence of Jimmy Butler, Chiang writes.

“I think that’s part of it,” forward Duncan Robinson said. “But that’s not necessarily new to the deadline. We’ve kind of been dealing with that for a while. So I don’t know if it’s as much adjusting to that. I think it’s been different things in different games. Good teams find a way to win, so we got to just start figuring out ways. It’s going to look different on different nights. But it’s more so just about building that resolve on both ends of the floor. These are painful steps, but there have been steps in the right direction.”

The Heat are still likely to make the play-in tournament, as they maintain a five-game lead on the Raptors for 10th in the East.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Heat forward Andrew Wiggins has missed two straight games and five of the last 12, but he’s no longer dealing with the lower leg contusion that was ailing him, according to the Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman (Twitter link). However, Wiggins is now questionable for the team’s Friday game against Houston with an ankle impingement.
Magic rookie Tristan Da Silva has played more than anticipated in his rookie season with Orlando dealing with numerous injuries. Head coach Jamahl Mosley believes he has filled in well, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel writes. “He’s still continuing to take that all in,” Mosley said. “It’s a lot for a young rookie in this situation, but he’s taken it all in stride, and he continues to learn as the games go on … Just understanding the speed, the intensity, the physicality of the game, but also understanding the game plan within that game.“
The Wizards‘ Wednesday loss to the Jazz put them in a tie for the worst record in the league and for the best overall odds at the best draft pick positioning in the 2025 draft, Varun Shankar of The Washington Post writes. While the bottom three teams have the same probability of getting the top overall pick, the team with the worst overall record can fall no lower than fifth, while the second- and third-worst can fall to sixth and seventh, respectively. According to Shankar, the team is using the rest of the season to determine fits on the roster and gauge youth development.

Heat Notes: Losing Streak, Wiggins, Starting Lineup, Rozier, Draft Pick

March 19th, 2025 at 11:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat are in the midst of their longest losing streak in 17 years after falling to the Pistons on Wednesday on Cade Cunningham‘s last-second shot (Twitter video link), writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Cunningham banked in a three-pointer shortly before the buzzer, enabling Detroit to escape with a 116-113 victory in a game that Miami led most of the way.

“There’s no way to explain some of this, the bank shot at the end,” coach Erik Spoelstra said after his team suffered its ninth straight loss. “There’s no way to explain that. You just have to find more resolve. We’re all getting tested in so many different ways that we do not want to get tested.”

Although the Heat still aren’t in serious danger of falling out of the play-in tournament, they have dropped to 10th place at 29-40. Their schedule doesn’t get any easier as the Rockets, who are second in the West, visit on Friday. After hosting the Hornets on Sunday, they will welcome Jimmy Butler back to the Kaseya Center in Tuesday’s matchup with the Warriors.

There’s more from Miami:

Andrew Wiggins, who was the centerpiece of the Heat’s return in the Butler trade, sat out Wednesday’s game with a lower left leg contusion and has only played in 11 of 19 games since the deal, Chiang adds. He’s put up decent numbers when he has been available — averaging 18.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting 42.2% from the field and 30.9% from three-point range — but Miami is just 2-9 in those games. “He’s had some really good moments already,” Spoelstra said. “You can see the firepower he brings and the versatility that he brings to us defensively. And we have who we have tonight. He’s not available, but we definitely could use him.”
With Wiggins out, Spoelstra used his 22nd different starting lineup, per Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. It marked the first time this season that Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Duncan Robinson and Jaime Jaquez have been on the court together. Terry Rozier wasn’t used at all, getting his fourth DNP-CD in the last 14 games.
In a separate story, Chiang talks to Bobby Marks of ESPN about the Heat’s draft pick dilemma. Miami’s first-rounder will go to Oklahoma City if the Heat reach the playoffs and it lands outside the top 14. However, if Miami keeps the pick this year, it will owe the Thunder an unprotected first-round selection in 2026. Marks’ advice is for the Heat to try to earn a playoff spot and count on improving next season.

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Herro, Wiggins, Slump, Mitchell

March 16th, 2025 at 7:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Bam Adebayo was drafted by the Heat in 2017, two years before Jimmy Butler joined the team in free agency, but this is the first time since 2019 he hasn’t had the veteran forward as a teammate. Tyler Herro, a 2019 draftee, is experiencing life without Butler for the first time in his NBA career. It has been a challenging transition for both players, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

“It’s growing pains for us,” Adebayo said. “This is the first situation that’s it has really been just me and Tyler. I mean, obviously, the addition of (Andrew Wiggins), but we’re still trying to get Wiggs comfortable to where he can be fully himself. Right now, we’re keeping it simple for him and just kind of getting out of his way. But for me and Tyler, it’s more so understanding that we know how hard it is to win in this league. You can never take that for granted.”

Even though Butler was in and out of the lineup for weeks leading up to the trade deadline, the Heat have cratered since they officially sent him to Golden State. Miami was 25-24 when the February 6 deadline passed; since then, the club has dropped 14 of 18 contests, falling to nine games below .500 for the first time since the 2016/17 season.

While it’s hardly an ideal situation for the Heat, head coach Erik Spoelstra points out that it has been a good test for Adebayo and Herro as the team’s new leaders.

“With everything that has been going on, that part I’ve enjoyed watching — to see them grow into these roles,” Spoelstra said. “If you want to lead, these are the times. You have to be able to do it when the seas are a little bit rough, a little bit choppy. Anybody can lead when things are going great. Anybody can be a front-runner in those kinds of situations.

“But these guys, they’re about the right things. They want it so bad. They want everybody to play well and get this breakthrough. It starts with that and then everybody else filling in, as well. We say it all the time, it’s leadership at all levels. But those two guys have been around the longest. I think everybody is just kind of turning to them naturally.”

Here’s more on the slumping Heat:

Saturday’s defeat at the hands of the Grizzlies extended the Heat’s losing streak to seven games, which Spoelstra referred to as “humbling,” per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The first four of those losses were by five points or less, but the past three have been by double-digits — Memphis won by 34 points on Saturday. “We are desperate to our souls to collectively figure out how to win one game,” Spoelstra said. “We focus on the process. In these moments, you have to stick to a process. We are trying to build necessary habits.”
One post-deadline bright spot for the Heat has been the play of Davion Mitchell, who had 12 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in Friday’s loss to Boston. Acquired from Toronto last month, Mitchell has earned regular minutes in Miami’s backcourt and has acquitted himself well. “He made all of us watch him, right? He has that kind of gift, those kinds of abilities.” Spoelstra said after Friday’s game, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “He’s really dynamic, the way he can move laterally. And we just want to unlock all of that. Taking on all the big matchups, just making great efforts, we’re going to need that a bunch going down the stretch. But I was really pleased with his play.”
In another story for The Miami Herald, Jackson examines what’s at stake in the final weeks of the season for six players whom the Heat will have to make decisions on soon, such as Duncan Robinson, whose 2025/26 salary is partially guaranteed, and Herro, who will become extension-eligible later this year.
Within that same article, Jackson wonders if the Heat might consider the possibility of waiving Mitchell before the end of the season in the hopes that another team will claim him off waivers, which would allow Miami to duck below the luxury tax line. I can’t see that happening, even if the Heat don’t necessarily view the fourth-year guard as part of their future. There are very few teams that could realistically claim Mitchell’s $6.45MM expiring contract without creating their own tax-related problems, and he wouldn’t be playoff-eligible for a new club, limiting his appeal. If Mitchell were to go unclaimed in that hypothetical scenario, the Heat’s tax situation wouldn’t change and they would be giving up a key piece of their backcourt (and a possible offseason asset) for no reason.

Heat Notes: Wiggins, Ware, Losing Streak, Takeaways

March 13th, 2025 at 5:24pm CST by Rory Maher

Former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins says he’s still getting adjusted to an expanded offensive role with the Heat, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Wiggins’ brief tenure with Miami has already been interrupted by a right ankle sprain, causing him to miss five games, having returned for the past two.

“It has been great,” Wiggins said of his increased usage rate. “It’s something I love to do. I love getting the ball, driving, just doing whatever I can to help the team win, most importantly.

“Just getting adjusted, getting situated. Just trying to figure out all the sets and picking my spots on the floor and building up that chemistry. Seeing what everyone likes to do, everyone’s spots. But it’s coming along.”

Wiggins, who was acquired from Golden State in the Jimmy Butler trade, says it takes time to build chemistry with new teammates, but he’s confident he’ll figure it out.

“I feel like I will get better with each game, experience just as the chemistry builds, especially around these guys,” Wiggins said. “I feel like I will be better.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

Rookie center Kel’el Ware has been a bright spot amid a disappointing season, but he struggled in the past two outings against larger centers in Mark Williams and Ivica Zubac. As Chiang writes for The Herald, Ware didn’t play at all in the second half of Wednesday’s loss to the Clippers. For his part, Ware says he’s “rolling with the punches” of the ups and downs of his debut campaign. “Those are guys who have been in the league for a minute and I’m still learning through it,” Ware said. “So I don’t really think it’s tough. I just think it’s more of a lesson to learn, look back on it and get better next year.”
In another story, Chiang shares his takeaways from Wednesday’s defeat, which extended the Heat’s losing streak to a season-high five games. Second-round pick Pelle Larsson was one of the bright spots for the team in a game in which Miami was outplayed from start to finish, per Chiang.
The Heat’s next five games are against teams with winning records and Miami has struggled in those situations clubs all season, according to Chiang. The team is in danger of dropping eight games below .500 for the first time since 2016/17, Chiang notes. “We just got to stay with it,” All-Star guard Tyler Herro said. “I know it’s getting old hearing that. But that’s our job is to stick with it. I think these last couple games, our spirit hasn’t been at the level it needs to be. Obviously, wins and losses can affect emotionally. But I feel like right now is a time when we need to come closer, be as close as we’ve ever been from top to bottom. Being able to come in and just lean on each other, try to turn this thing around.”

Heat Notes: Herro, Facing Demons, Mitchell, Robinson, Ware, Wiggins

March 10th, 2025 at 5:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Tyler Herro‘s usage rate has spiked this season to a team-high 27.1% — and it grew to 30.5% in February as the Heat leaned more on him after dealing Jimmy Butler. Herro averaged 24.1 points and seven assists while shooting 41.1% from the field and 25.9% on threes during the month, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes.

“Just embracing it,” Herro said. “The challenge I would say is just toggling back and forth with trying to make plays for myself and make plays for my teammates.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

Miami fell apart against the depleted Bulls on Saturday, blowing an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter of a 114-109 loss. The team is now five games below .500 entering Monday’s action. “We’re all in this together. That’s what I told the group right now,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, per Chiang. “I’m fully with them. This is an opportunity for all of us to face our demons to get past this. This is not something that’s comfortable for any one of us and I see something amazing on the other side if we can collectively overcome this.”
If things continue to go sour, it could impact contract decisions on six notable players, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel points out. That group includes Herro, who is extension-eligible in October. They also have to decide whether to make Davion Mitchell a restricted free agent by extending a qualifying offer and what to do about Duncan Robinson‘s partially guaranteed deal.
Rookie big man Kel’el Ware hasn’t received many crunch-time minutes and Winderman believes trust issues come into play. It’s especially true at the defensive end when teams utilize smaller lineups.
Good news on the injury front — Herro (illness), Robinson (back) and Andrew Wiggins (ankle) are available to play against Charlotte tonight, Winderman tweets. Haywood Highsmith, who is dealing with a knee injury, is questionable.

Injury Notes: Martin, Gobert, Jackson, Monk, Thompson, Heat

March 6th, 2025 at 10:06pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Caleb Martin is close to making his Mavericks debut. He was upgraded to questionable for Dallas’ Friday game against the Grizzlies, according to The Dallas Morning News’ Mike Curtis (Twitter link). Martin hasn’t played since Jan. 10, when he was a member of the Sixers.

The Mavericks acquired Martin at the trade deadline in exchange for Quentin Grimes. It was an interesting move in the wake of the Luka Doncic trade, as the Mavs sent out the younger Grimes – set to hit restricted free agency this summer – and acquired the 29-year-old Martin in the first of a four-year, $35MM deal.

However, Martin hasn’t played for the shorthanded Mavericks as he works his way back from a hip strain. In 31 games with Philadelphia, he averaged 9.1 points and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 43.5% from the floor and 37.9% from three.

The return of Martin would be more than welcome news for the Mavericks. Heading into its matchup with Memphis, Dallas only has eight players fully available.

We have more injury notes from around the league:

Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert has missed the last nine games due to a lower back injury. He was upgraded to questionable for the team’s Friday game against the Heat, according to team PR (Twitter link). Gobert is averaging 11.0 points and 10.4 rebounds this season.
Jaren Jackson Jr., who is currently week-to-week with an ankle sprain, wasn’t in a walking boot and was moving around well on the Grizzlies‘ bench, according to Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com (Twitter link). While nothing is confirmed, those are good signs for the star big man to be back on the shorter end of that timetable.
Kings guard Malik Monk is day-to-day with a right toe sprain, according to the Kings (Twitter link via Andscape’s Marc J. Spears). He’s out for at least Sacramento’s game against the Spurs on Friday and will be evaluated on a daily basis afterward.
J.B. Bickerstaff said Ausar Thompson is no longer on a minutes restriction, according to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). The young Pistons forward has improved his conditioning in recent weeks. “(Monday’s game vs.) Utah was the first time he reached 30 minutes in a game, and doing it in a high altitude shows how far he’s come,” Bickerstaff said.
The Heat have been down multiple starters and rotation players during the past two games due to injuries and illnesses. However, according to Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, they should be getting reinforcements soon. Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Andrew Wiggins were all upgraded to questionable for Friday’s matchup against the Wolves. Kel’el Ware remains out and Alec Burks was downgraded to questionable. The Heat have assigned Josh Christopher to the G League, which may be a sign that the team expects to have more players available on Friday.

Southeast Notes: Suggs, Champagnie, Heat Injuries, Nurkic

March 4th, 2025 at 7:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With point guard Jalen Suggs out for the season after undergoing knee surgery, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley will rely more on his frontcourt players to create offensive opportunities, he told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel.

“It’s going to be different handlers at different times of the game,” he said. “If we realize a team is fully aggressive picking our point guard up, we might have to play through our bigs. Wendell (Carter Jr.), Goga (Bitadze), JI (Jonathan Isaac), those guys being able to handle the basketball and get us into easier sets. If they’re not pressuring Paolo (Banchero) and Franz (Wagner), those guys become our point-forward play-makers. That’s going to be a big key but that’s also going to vary game-to-game as well.”

Longtime veteran Cory Joseph made his first start of the season in place of Suggs on Tuesday.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Justin Champagnie had his two-way contract converted into a standard four-year, $10MM deal by the Wizards on Monday. He’s been angling for a standard contract since going undrafted in 2021. “It means a lot,” he told Varun Shankar of the Washington Post. “I’ve been working hard these past four years of my career, trying to get to this point, and I’m super happy. I’m super thankful. I’m grateful that I got the opportunity here to be myself.” He will earn $1.8MM for the remainder of 2024/25, well above this prorated minimum. The final three seasons of the contract will be non-guaranteed.
Jaime Jaquez (right ankle sprain), Nikola Jovic (broken right hand), Kel’el Ware (left knee sprain) and Andrew Wiggins (right ankle sprain) will miss the Heat‘s game against the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers on Wednesday, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. Undrafted rookies Keshad Johnson and Isaiah Stevens, who have been playing the G League, are expected to suit up for the NBA team to add depth.
After losing his starting spot with Phoenix and getting traded to the Hornets, Jusuf Nurkic is eager to reestablish himself, he told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “I’ve been in this league long enough. I know what the situation can be and how it’s good for the player to change the situation and have a fresh start,” he said. “I have an eagerness and excitement for the game again. I can’t wait to play again on the court.” He’s averaging 7.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists and 1.2 blocks in six games with Charlotte.

Heat Notes: Smith, Wiggins, Anderson, Mitchell, Adebayo

February 23rd, 2025 at 10:03am CST by Arthur Hill

Heat shooting guard Dru Smith is two months into the recovery process after having his season cut short by an injury for the second straight year, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Smith was part of Miami’s rotation when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in a December 23 game. It was difficult for him to accept after working his way back from a season-ending knee injury that took place in November 2023.

“It was very, very unfortunate,” Smith said. “It was tough for those first couple days, first week or so, just trying to process it all. I felt like I was in a really good spot, things were going well. So in a sense, it felt like something was taken from me. But it really wasn’t. It was just something that I had to process and move on after that.”

Smith was seeing 19.1 minutes per night through his first 14 games, averaging 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He had played double-digit minutes in eight straight games before getting hurt, Chiang notes, and had become a useful bench weapon as an offensive contributor and a standout defender.

The Heat never stopped believing in Smith even though they’ve waived him four times since first signing him in 2021, Chiang adds. He has remained on the roster for the past two months despite the injury, although that could change with a March 4 deadline looming to add two-way players. He’s currently focused on rehab work with a goal of being fully healthy by training camp.

“I think in general, they say around six months that you should be back to basketball activities,” he said. “Around eight months, you should be doing pretty well, moving really well. I think that’s a normal timetable. I don’t think that I’m necessarily ahead or behind or anything like that. So just kind of playing it by ear.”

There’s more from Miami:

In Friday’s win at Toronto, Andrew Wiggins showed he can take over Jimmy Butler‘s scoring load and serve as a closer in late-game situations, Chiang states in a separate story. Wiggins finished with 25 points, his highest total since being traded, with 13 of those coming in the fourth quarter and overtime. “We’re all rooting for Wiggs, man,” Tyler Herro said. “Great guy, we love having him here. We’re super happy to have him. He’s just going to continue to get more comfortable with everything we’re doing. We’re trying to feed as much life and as much confidence into him as possible. We’re really happy for him.”
Wiggins, along with fellow newcomers Kyle Anderson and Davion Mitchell, have adjusted quickly to their new surroundings since coming to Miami at the trade deadline, Chiang notes in another piece. “I feel like they’re embracing it, they’re embracing the culture, they’re embracing the standard,” Bam Adebayo said. “They understand the majority of what we like to do and how we like to compete. I feel like they’ve embraced it. I feel like they’re up for the challenge. So it’s good to have three guys walking in trying to embrace the culture.”
Adebayo is among the favorites now for Defensive Player of the Year honors in light of Victor Wembanyama‘s season-ending blood clot condition, Chiang adds. The Heat center finished third in the balloting last season. “That’s the media’s job, that’s not my job,” Adebayo said. “My job is to go out there and play basketball. It’s always been that thing, and you all always ask me like I can control the media’s mind. But for me, man, it’s just going out there, getting stops, playing defense and having fun. And hopefully it starts to equate to winning.”

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