Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo will miss his second straight game on Wednesday and could be out longer. Having already been declared out for the matchup against the Toronto Raptors due to a hip contusion, Adebayo told Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson that he is uncertain when he will return. His next chance to play is on Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“I have no idea. This is new to me.. to be on the sideline. I get re-evaluated when the team gets back from Toronto. We’ll have a conversation then.”
NBA Rumors: Bam Adebayo’s Return Date, LaMelo Ball and Lonnie Walker, Plus More
On the plus side, Adebayo said that his hip has improved. The 26-year-old, averaging a career-best 22.3 points, shot jumpers after practice today but didn’t move around much.
“I haven’t started doing much basketball stuff; no contact, he said. Everything else I’ve been doing, shooting and stuff like that, has been fine.
“The best thing for it is rest. That’s what I’ve been trying to do these past couple of days. Very boring. But this is the process.”
Miami is 11-7 on the season. But the Heat are just 1-3 without Adebayo, as they allow 118.5 points, which is 8.2 more points than when he plays.
Brooklyn Nets Lonnie Walker and Dorian Finney-Smith
Brooklyn has received bad news and good news on the injury front recently. Before the Nets’ Saturday night game against Orlando, coach Jacque Vaughn told reporters that Ben Simmons received an epidural injection for his lower back and will be reevaluated in about two weeks.
Ben Simmons update. #nets 👇🏾 pic.twitter.com/Pj4grNkAIL
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) December 2, 2023
Simmons has been sidelined since November 6 due to a nerve impingement in his lower left back. He had been dealing with similar issues for the past three years.
In another bit of bad news, Vaughn gave an update on Lonnie Walker IV, who missed Saturday’s contest. Vaughn said that Walker has undergone imaging on his left hamstring strain and is expected to remain sidelined for several more games.
Jacque Vaughn said Lonnie Walker had imaging on his hamstring: “So Lonnie’s situation is he will not travel with us to Atlanta and all signs pointing towards him not playing on the West Coast trip and having some more information about that.” #nets
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) December 5, 2023
Vaughn did have some good news for the Nets, stating that Dorian Finney-Smith practiced today after sitting out Saturday’s contest due to right foot/knee soreness. Finney-Smith is on pace to have one of his best seasons and is expected to play tomorrow against Atlanta.
Other Tidbits
- Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic told Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca that while there is no timetable for 7-1 center Christian Koloko to return to action, he continues “to do drill work with coaches after practice.”
Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic says there has been no status change for Christian Koloko who has been out since Summer League with unspecified respiratory issue. He continues to do drill work with coaches after practice with no timetable for him ramping up to full practice.
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) December 4, 2023
Koloko has been sidelined since Summer League due to a respiratory issue. Selected with the third pick of the second round last year, Kokoloko appeared in 58 games with 19 starts. Very limited offensively, Koloko is a fantastic offensive rebounder and an excellent rim-protector.
- Charlotte Hornets’ point guard, LaMelo Ball, is still far from recovering from a severely sprained ankle as he still has a noticeable limp, according to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Boone did add that he’s no longer wearing a walking boot. Ball is expected to be re-evaluated later this week.
#Hornets practice is over. One good sign: Although he's still sidelined, LaMelo shed his walking boot. Still has a noticeable limp, but that should be considered progress since the injury happened a week ago. pic.twitter.com/IZnRBhB2N8
— Rod Boone (@rodboone) December 4, 2023
- Detroit Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic, who came off the bench in his season debut on Saturday, could be starting soon, per James Edwards of The Athletic. Pistons coach Monty Williams appeared to indicate to Edwards that Bogdanovic, when healthy, would start at either the 3 or 4, depending on the matchup. If Bogdanovic doesn’t start at power forward, Isaiah Stewart would.
Williams reiterated again that when the team isn’t playing against two bruisers in starting lineup, it’s likely Bogey starts at the 4 when he gets in a rhythm. Stew could start against bigger team, with Bogey at the 3.
— James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) December 4, 2023
