Milwaukee Bucks: Ranking their biggest East challengers ahead of restart

Ranking the Milwaukee Bucks’ biggest East challengers ahead of restart – 4. Miami Heat

After being stuck in the middle over the last few seasons, no one quite saw the rise the Miami Heat have taken this year as they currently stand fourth in the East with a 41-24 record.

Of course, the major addition of All-Star wing Jimmy Butler has immediately stepped in as the team’s leading scorer by averaging 20.2 points per game while hauling in 6.6 rebounds per game and 6.1 assists per game over his first season in South Beach.

The Heat have also continued to hit pay dirt in developing rotation players out of the G League, with both Kendrick Nunn and Duncan Robinson being the most prominent examples this year. Robinson, a high-volume sniper, has made the third-most triples (247) while hitting 44.8 percent of his threes and Nunn has offered the Heat a nice scoring punch alongside Butler by averaging 15.6 points per game this season.

But it’s third-year center Bam Adebayo who may be the most indispensable figure in their foundation and certainly the biggest X-factor in any potential playoff series against the Bucks, should both teams meet.

Adebayo may stand as the only player who possesses a similar skill set to that of Antetokounmpo elsewhere around the league and the third-year big man is currently averaging 16.2 points on 56.7 percent shooting from the field, 10.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 steals across his 65 appearances.

Combine that with the size, speed and athleticism that will be needed to slow down Antetokounmpo on the way to the rim and the 23-year-old will be critical to any defensive strategy that Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra comes up with.

For that to occur, however, the Heat will have to reach the second round of the NBA Playoffs, which may be no easy feat. Along with that, both Adebayo and Nunn have just returned to practice after having bouts with COVID-19, which had delayed their arrival to Orlando.

With a strong slate ahead of them during the seeding portion of the schedule, it’s very possible the Bucks avoid seeing the Heat, who have had their number in both meetings to this point in the campaign.