Bam Adebayo

Last year, for the fifth consecutive season, Adebayo increased his points per game, shots per game and steals per game. He averaged a double-double at 19.1 points and 10.1 rebounds to go along with 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks per night. Playing a huge role in Miami's perennial success, Adebayo stands as the lone source of interior grit after P.J. Tucker's migration to Philadelphia. Dewayne Dedmon marks the only source of floor spacing depth behind Adebayo. Playing time could hit an all-time high for the 26-year-old. If Miami asks him to anchor the basket more often, an uptick in rebounding and shot blocking is likely. He's ranked between 21st and 34th in eight-category per-game fantasy production over the past three years, so drafting him in that range again -- probably closer to the higher end -- makes sense this season.

Though Adebayo wasn't able to make the All-Star team last season, he put up better numbers than he did as an All-Star in 2019-20. The emerging center averaged 18.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists and a combined 2.2 steals-plus-blocks. His impressive defense led to him being voted to the All-Defensive Second Team for a second straight year. He also shot well from both the field (57.0 percent) and the charity stripe (79.9 percent), by big-man standards. Adebayo's production led to him ranking 21st in fantasy on a per-game basis -- a 10-spot jump compared to 2019-20. The 24-year-old figures to keep improving in 2021-22, though the addition of Kyle Lowry will take some scoring and playmaking pressure off of his shoulders. As a result, a slight dip in points and assists wouldn't be surprising, though there could be more available effort to rack up rebounds, steals and blocks. Ultimately, Adebayo is an ascending star on one of the East's top teams who already has a proven track record. He's durable, his floor is high, and he deserves to be selected in the second or third round of most fantasy drafts.

Adebayo took over the Heat's starting center job in 2019-20 after Hassan Whiteside was dealt to the Trail Blazers. Missing just one regular-season contest, Adebayo had a breakout year, earning an All-Star nomination and averaging 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.1 steals in 33.6 minutes. His impressive defense led to an All-Defensive Second Team nod, as well. Overall, Adebayo delivered third-round value to fantasy managers on a per-game basis in eight-category leagues -- a leap of 90 spots from a year prior. Heading into 2020-21, Adebayo's role is clearly secure, and he may be able to improve given that he's just 23 years old. He may never become an effective three-point shooter, but bumping up his free-throw percentage is well within reason, and he can likely still grow as a shot-blocker. Adebayo's youth, well-rounded game, lack of an injury history and clear role means he'll be a popular option come draft day, and he'll likely be taken in the second or third round.

Adebayo parlayed his 2017-18 rookie year flashes into a bigger role last season. He came off the bench for 59 of his first 65 appearances in 2018-19, but Adebayo was given a bigger role down the stretch as coach Erik Spoelstra began to trust him over Hassan Whiteside. The result was Adebayo starting 22 of the final 23 games of the season. That's a role he should occupy full-time in 2019-20, as Whiteside was dealt to the Trail Blazers over the summer. In the 13 games Adebayo saw 30-plus minutes last season, he averaged 12.9 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and a combined 2.2 blocks/steals while shooting an impressive 59.8 percent from the field (102 attempts) and 72.6 percent from the charity stripe (62 attempts). While it seems Adebayo might be destined to be a low-usage offensive player, he should provide strong value to fantasy owners as a rebounder, defender and efficient scorer.

Adebayo, the 14th overall pick out of Kentucky in 2017, was able to make an impact as a rookie. He saw 19.8 minutes per game, averaging 6.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and a combined 1.1 blocks/steals. He even drew 19 starts while Hassan Whiteside missed games due to injury. In those tilts, Adebayo averaged 7.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and a combined 1.1 steals/blocks across 24.9 minutes -- enough to make him relevant for a stretch in DFS. The 21-year-old doesn't project to see much of an increase in role this season, assuming Hassan Whiteside’s minutes plateau, rather than decrease again. As a result, he can likely be avoided once again during Fantasy drafts, but might be a nice waiver wire target in the case of some frontcourt injuries for the Heat.

Adebayo, a 6-foot-10 power forward/center with a 7-foot-3 wingspan out of Kentucky, was selected 14th overall by the Heat in the 2017 NBA Draft. He played one season in college, posting 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks across 30.1 minutes per game. More was expected from him, though, considering the lofty expectations placed on him out of high school. That said, the Heat seemingly feel good about Adebayo’s upside as an NBA rebounder and shot-blocker, despite his limited shooting range and tendency to get into foul trouble. Adebayo rewarded Miami’s confidence in him by having a dominant summer league in both Orlando and Las Vegas. In Orlando, he posted 17.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks across 30.8 minutes per game. In Vegas, he averaged 15.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals across 29.0 minutes per game. He’ll likely struggle to find playing time conducive to reliable Fantasy production however, as he’s seemingly behind Hassan Whiteside, Kelly Olynyk and James Johnson in the Heat’s frontcourt. For that reason, he probably won’t be relevant in most year-long Fantasy formats, though could end up providing value in DFS if the Heat get hit with some frontcourt injuries.