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December 1, 2021. Miami Heat
AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee.
Adebayo will have surgery to repair his thumb.
Adebayo's surgery will take place this weekend and his return timetable will be determined after the procedure, according to an official statement from the team.
The Heat center is expected to be out between four and six weeks.
Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com said the average return from surgery is seven weeks.
Jeff Stotts is on InStreetClothes.
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The average time lost for in-season surgery to repair a torn UCL of the thumb is 26 games. Chris Paul and Marcus Smart missed the most time, missing 39 days and 44 days, respectively.
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If Adebayo takes six weeks to recover, he would be out for as many as 21 games.
Adebayo was hurt during Monday's loss to the Denver Nuggets. He played 35 minutes and had a double-double with 24 points and 13 rebound.
Adebayo was listed as questionable for Wednesday's game against Cleveland before it was announced that he had to have surgery.
Losing Adebayo for a period of time will have an impact on Miami's playoff chances. The team is in a tie with the Wizards for first place in the Southeast Division.
Adebayo leads the Heat in both points and points per game. He has been named to the All-Defensive second team in each of the past two seasons.
Dedmon will likely be the starting center until Adebayo returns.
