All of Heat Nation patiently awaited the news of Tyler Herro’s first time NBA All-Star announcement. That waiting has paid off, along with the work ethic and growth from Herro himself. But who could be next to represent the Miami Heat with the elite league honor?

Of course, going with Herro to turn it into two consecutive All-Star nods could be the easy route in answering that. And it could come into fruition, as the sky’s the limit for the continuously improving 24 year-old guard.

Youngsters like Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and especially Kel’el Ware, could all develop into this type of talent but likely not in the immediate future. The safest option in this type of prediction falls with the Heat’s captain in Bam Adebayo.

Adebayo’s most recent dominant 30/12/9 outing ended with a buzzer beating game winner. After what has been an inconsistent offensive season, the former 3X All-Star and 5X All-Defensive talent has been looking much more like himself as of late. The best version of this Heat team may come when Adebayo plays up to his caliber offensively.

Miami remains undefeated in games when he drops 25+ points (5-0 record).

The big man’s impact on this team has always gone deeper than the box score. His ability to defend 1-5 at an elite level, run offense through him and provide leadership is all a crucial factor of what the Heat would like to accomplish on the court. Despite a slightly regressing season from an offensive standpoint, Adebayo has shown flashes of his All-Star self— and could pose as a safe bet to get back to that form soon.

If anything, he is having a similar offensive campaign in terms of scoring to the likes of his 2019-20 season, in which he secured his own first ever All-Star nod.

This is still the same player that the Heat have always had to lead the way in the middle, even with his scoring production and efficiency dropping off a bit from his 2023-24 stats. Maybe his Olympic run is a cause of his dipping output.

Even so, Adebayo is still averaging a more than respectable 16.2 points and 10 rebounds on the year, along with 4.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks on 47% shooting. He has also appeared in 46 of the Heat’s first 47 games.

However, at only 27 years old, it is safe to say that Miami still hasn’t seen the best from Adebayo’s career. A bounce back campaign to be considered with the rest of the league’s best again shouldn’t surprise anybody heading into next season.