Heat’s Bam Adebayo named East All-Star reserve. But Jimmy Butler not selected

Anthony Chiang
·5 min read

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo made it clear that he believes he should be selected as an NBA All-Star this season. Coaches agreed.

Adebayo will represent the Heat as an All-Star reserve in the Feb. 19 showcase game, which will take place at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. It marks the second time Adebayo has been named an All-Star in his six NBA seasons, with his first All-Star selection coming in the 2019-20 season.

The seven All-Star reserves from each conference, which were voted on by head coaches, were revealed Thursday night on TNT.

Adebayo, 25, joins Alonzo Mourning, Jimmy Butler, Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh as players who have been voted into the All-Star Game multiple times as members of the Heat.

The Heat’s other All-Star candidates this season — Butler and Tyler Herro — did not make the cut. At this point, the only way Miami could have a second player in the All-Star Game is as an injury replacement.

The seven All-Star reserve spots usually include three frontcourt players, two guards and two additional players regardless of position.

Along with Adebayo, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan, Boston’s Jaylen Brown, Milwaukee’s Jrue Holiday, New York’s Julius Randle and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton were named as Eastern Conference All-Star reserves.

The seven All-Star reserves from the Western Conference are Memphis’ Ja Morant, Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Los Angeles’ Paul George, Portland’s Damian Lillard, Utah’s Lauri Markkanen and Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr.

Adebayo and Butler were both considered frontcourt players and Herro was considered a guard on the All-Star ballot.

While Herro was a long shot to make the All-Star Game, Butler had a strong All-Star case but the coaches ultimately did not vote him in.

Butler, 33, has been excellent this season, entering Thursday night’s matchup against the New York Knicks averaging 22 points, six rebounds, 4.9 assists and a league-leading 2.1 steals per game. He’s also shooting a career-best 52.1 percent from the field.

The advanced metrics love Butler, who holds the NBA’s 10th-best estimated plus-minus and eighth-best player efficiency rating (PER) while also being ranked second in win shares per 48 minutes behind only Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic this season.

Those are All-Star level numbers for Butler, but there were a few factors working against his All-Star case.

Butler, who has been voted into the All-Star Game in two of his four seasons with the Heat, has missed 15 of the Heat’s first 53 games this season because of various injuries. Coaches may also have been hesitant to vote for two Heat players as All-Star reserves because Miami hasn’t been one of the NBA’s best teams this season, with the Heat currently in sixth place in the East.

In the end, Adebayo is the one who was selected by the coaches as the Heat’s All-Star.

Adebayo entered Thursday averaging a career-high 21.4 points on 53.9 percent shooting from the field to go with 10 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game while providing his trademark high-level defense in his sixth NBA season. He has reached the 30-point mark in 17 games during his NBA career, and eight of those games have come this season.

Adebayo is one of only five players in the league averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent or better from the field this season along with Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks, Anthony Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers, Embiid and Jokic. Adebayo entered Thursday tied with Antetokounmpo as the league leaders in total paint points for the season.

Adebayo also ranks second in the NBA in defensive win shares behind only Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley.

The Heat has simply been a better team with Adebayo on the court, outscoring opponents by 3.4 points per 100 possessions in his minutes this season. Meanwhile, opponents have outscored the Heat by 5.2 points per 100 possessions when Adebayo has not been on the court.

Along with that productivity, Adebayo has been available for nearly every game this season. He has played in 48 of the Heat’s first 53 games.

The All-Star Game starters — voted on by fans, current NBA players and a media panel — were announced last week.

Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving and Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell are the two East guards voted in as starters, with Antetokounmpo, Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant and Boston’s Jayson Tatum as the three East frontcourt players who made the cut.

The West All-Star starters are James, Jokic and Zion Williamson from the New Orleans Pelicans in the frontcourt, and Stephen Curry from the Golden State Warriors and Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks in the backcourt.

The two rosters for the All-Star Game will be drafted by Antetokounmpo and James as the All-Star starter from each conference who received the most fan votes in his respective conference. They will choose from the pool of players voted in as starters and reserves regardless of conference affiliation.

For the first time, the All-Star draft will take place right before the All-Star Game just about 30 minutes before tipoff.

Adebayo could be the only Heat representative at All-Star Weekend this year. As of Thursday night, the Heat did not have a confirmed participant in any of the Feb. 18 All-Star Saturday Night events like the Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest.

The Heat also did not have a player selected for the Feb. 17 Rising Stars game, as the rosters of first and second-year NBA players and G League players were announced earlier this week.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • What prison sentence could Trump face if he is convicted at his hush money trial?

    Republican presidential contender is the first former US president to go on criminal trial

  • Man builds entire home next to LA freeway

    Home in encampment along 110 Freeway has own front door and electricity, allowing the resident to have lights, a stove and a refrigerator

  • Smoke ‘n’ Spurs back in the saddle this summer

    PAPINEAU-CAMERON TWP., Ont. — Smoke ‘n’ Spurs rides again. From horses to horsepower, the Smoke ‘n’ Spurs festival revs it up, and this Labour Day weekend, the event rolls into its new home, in Papineau-Cameron Township, just outside of Mattawa. “Everything is wide open for us,” said Gary Anderson of the coming festival. Anderson and his wife, Jennifer, are excited to revive the festival previously held in Powassan. After six successful years, organizers decided to cancel the seventh year, and w

  • Clippers fined $25,000 by NBA for violating league injury reporting rules

    NEW YORK (AP) — The Los Angeles Clippers were fined $25,000 by the NBA on Friday for violating league injury reporting rules. The team failed to accurately disclose the availability status of Paul George, Norman Powell and Russell Westbrook before its game against Houston last Sunday, the final day of the regular season. None of the trio played and none were listed on the team's injury report as being out due to injury or rest. ___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba The Associated Press

  • Road closure to start amid bridge replacement

    Maryland Route 91 will close for months amid bridge replacement work in the Finksburg area, according to the State Highway Administration. The closure is set to start at 5 a.m. on Monday, just north of Maryland Route 140, as crews start work on replacing two bridges, one over the North Branch of the Patapsco River and another over the Maryland Midland Railroad tracks. The existing bridges, erected in 1967, are due for replacement. Maintaining traffic flow while working on the old bridges has proven challenging.

  • Enterprise Group signs MOU with Treaty 8 First Nation

    Enterprise Group, an energy services consolidator, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on April 1st outlining a business relationship with a prominent Treaty 8 First Nation, according to a news release from the company. Energeticcity.ca contacted Enterprise regarding which First Nation they signed the agreement with but did not receive a response by publication time. The MOU is an agreement to expand and further develop the business relationship between the parties, which includes Enterpr

  • UK rules out EU-wide deal on work and study visas for young people

    The government has ruled out striking an EU-wide agreement on allowing an exchange of young people to work and study for extended periods of time. On Thursday, the European Commission announced its plans to begin negotiating with members of the bloc on a joined-up approach that could be taken with the UK. The proposals related to a Youth Mobility Scheme, a deal between nations allowing 18 to 30-year-olds the opportunity to work or study for up to four years in each other's territories.

  • UPDATE 1-BOJ's Ueda says 'very likely' to hike rates if inflation keeps rising

    Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said on Friday the central bank will "very likely" be raising interest rates if underlying inflation continued to go up. Ueda also said the central bank will find a way to reduce the amount of its Japanese government bond (JGB) purchases, though the actual timing was still undecided. Having ended its various unconventional monetary easing measures in March, the BOJ has brought more flexibility to its policy and may change its short-term interest rate target depending on how upcoming data unfold, Ueda said.

  • Most Expensive ZIP Code To Buy a Home in Every State

    If you're looking to purchase a home in a new location, you might be curious about the most expensive areas that are within your state. Depending on your income, those locations offer luxury homes...

  • Gardener ranked seventh among goaltending prospects in NHL Central Scouting final rankings

    The accolades continue for Saskatoon Blades rookie goaltender Evan Gardner. According to the team, the Fort St. John product was named seventh in NHL Central Scouting final rankings for goaltenders, released on April 16th. Gardner was ranked 16th in the previous report released in January. The 18-year-old compiled a 21-5-0-2 regular season record and a goals-against average (GAA) of 1.91, which led the Western Hockey League (WHL). Gardner also tied teammate Austin Elliot for second in the WHL wi

  • Braves ace Spencer Strider begins recovery from elbow surgery, says team can win World Series

    ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider began to feel discomfort in his right elbow in spring training but didn't realize the severity of the injury until learning he needed season-ending surgery. Strider said he had a bone fragment develop following Tommy John surgery in 2019 that caused the ulnar collateral ligament to become unstable. Strider also said he did not have a tear that required a second Tommy John surgery and he instead had an internal brace procedure, perhaps giving him

  • Remembering Kyle Velasquez | Columbine 25 years

    In honor of the victims of Columbine on the occasion of 25 years since the tragedy, these are the inscriptions on each plaque provided by the Columbine Memorial Foundation. This is Kyle Velasquez’s tribute.

  • Snow Showers Denver Metro Area

    Snow showers swept into the Denver-Boulder area on Friday, April 19, with heavier snow expected as the day continued, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.Footage taken by Peter Ohser shows light snow falling on Evergreen, southwest of Denver, on Friday.A winter weather advisory was in effect until Saturday morning, with the NWS warning of total snow accumulations up to 10 inches. Credit: Peter Ohser via Storyful

  • Most NH-02 candidates would back Ukraine aid package

    Candidate Colin Van Ostern said his fellow Democrats should be willing to rescue Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson from attempts to take his gavel in order to get aid to Ukraine across the finish line.

  • Commanders hosted 4 top QB prospects at once, and Jayden Daniels' agent wasn't happy

    The Commanders had an unusual visit with multiple QB prospects.

  • Police looking for a man accused of robbing a bank in New Albany

    Police looking for a man accused of robbing a bank in New Albany

  • Climate targets group's CEO seeks to ease concerns over carbon offset plan

    The CEO of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) on Friday sought to reassure critics' concerns over the global nonprofit's plan to allow companies to use carbon credits to offset greenhouse gas emissions from their value chain. Last week, the SBTi's staff accused the leadership of the climate targets verification group of acting without a sound scientific basis and called for the ouster of the chief executive and the reversal of the plan. Critics worry, however, that the policy could let companies off the hook when it comes to reducing emissions.

  • Hush money trial: All the wild defences Trump has given so far

    Ex-president’s team have seemingly thrown everything but the kitchen sink to try to stop or stall the former president’s first criminal trial — none of these efforts have been successful so far

  • Best Growth Stocks To Buy And Watch: See Updates To IBD Watchlists

    Find the best stocks to buy and watch by seeing which top growth stocks were just added to the IBD 50, IPO Leaders and other IBD stock lists.

  • “Our mission is to help as many people as we can"

    With the channel blocked and ships not getting through, workers used to 80-hour paychecks are now getting just a few hours. "We're daily hires, a lot of us, so it's like hitting a brick wall, the checks just stop, you're not a salaried employee they didn't know what to do," said Scott Cowan, the president of the international longshoremen's association, local 333. In the waning hours of the legislative session, the Port Act passed. READ MORE: https://www.wmar2news.com/keybridgecollapse/payments-to-port-workers-on-the-way-as-collapse-limits-hours