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Woj: Heat's Bam Adebayo Targeting Return vs. Raptors After Thumb Surgery Recovery
January 14, 2022
Five weeks after undergoing surgery on his right thumb, Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo is on the verge of returning to the court.
Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Adebayo is targeting Monday's game against the Toronto Raptors to make his return.
The Heat announced Adebayo was expected to miss 4-6 weeks after having successful surgery Dec. 6 to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in the thumb of his right (shooting) hand.
Adebayo originally suffered the injury during Miami's 120-111 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 29.
The Heat's overall performance hasn't changed much without the 2020 All-Star. They have gone 13-8 in 21 games without him after going 13-7 in 20 games before he got injured.
Dewayne Dedmon did an admirable job after moving into the starting lineup. The nine-year veteran averaged 8.5 points and 8.2 rebounds in 12 games as a starter before a knee sprain suffered on Dec. 23 put him on the shelf for two weeks
The Heat have been one of the best teams in the NBA all season. Their 26-15 record ranks second in the Eastern Conference. They rank in the top seven in offensive rating (112.8), defensive rating (107.9) and net rating (plus-4.9), per Basketball Reference.
Prior to the injury, Adebayo was off to a fantastic start this season. The 24-year-old was averaging 18.7 points, 10.2 rebounds (both tied for career bests) and 3.2 assists per game in 18 games.
Miami has a back-to-back at home on Friday against the Atlanta Hawks and Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers before hosting the Raptors.