Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo Next Victim of Team USA Benching?

Could Bam Adebayo get the Jayson Tatum treatment against South Sudan? One NBA analyst seems to think so.

Aug 7, 2021; Saitama, Japan; USA player Bam Adebayo (13) reacts after winning the gold medal game during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Saitama Super Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

It is possible Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo might get benched on Wednesday against South Sudan according to an NBA Insider.

It has nothing with his play but Adebayo could be a matchup casualty. Brian Windhorst of ESPN said Adebayo could fall out of the rotation in favor of Jayson Tatum because of South Sudan's wing players in the frontcourt.

Windhorst made the comments during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

"There are going to be other all-star players that are going to get benched. I'll tell you that," Windhorst said. "I get that if you are a Tatum fan you are pissed off, but I understand why they did this way. When they play the South Sudanese on Wednesday, they have a bunch of athletic wing players. They are going to be switching all those screens because they gotta play the perimeter."

"The game plan worked and Team USA looked awesome yesterday..

It was the most impressive performance for @usabasketball in the last two Olympics"@WindhorstESPN #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/MJJAJoBDrW

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 29, 2024

"Tatum will be out there. He's got to play the perimeter," Windhorst said. "A guy like Bam Adebayo might be benched."

There was still plenty of dialogue about Tatum being benched against the Serbians.

"I am not going to defend it. Serbia is a team of big men and guards," Windhorst said. "They don't have wing players like we do. They wanted to play three centers on [Nikola] Jokic. They wanted to play Joel Embiid, Bam Adebayo, Anthony Davis, those guys were all going to play. "

Windhorst also said Tatum might still be sore from the benching.

"I don't know how he really feels, but it seems like he is doing ok," Windhorst said. "They told him before the game that he wasn't going to play. Its not like Steve Kerr decided in the third quarter that he wasn't going to play."

Scott Salomon is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at sas@southfloridamedianetwork.com.

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