Bam Adebayo clears protocols, will be available for Game 1 on Sunday against Hawks

Take a deep breath, Heat fans.

Miami stalwart Bam Adebayo, who entered the health-and-safety protocols on April 10, cleared the protocols Saturday and returned to the team, per multiple reports. He is expected to play in Game 1 Sunday versus the Atlanta Hawks, which tips off at 1 p.m. EST on TNT.

Needless to say, Adebayo’s on-court presence augments Miami’s ceiling, especially against a potent Hawks offense. Adebayo posted career highs in points (19.1 ppg) and steals (1.4 spg), also averaging 3.4 assists plus 0.8 blocks. He shot 55.7 percent from the floor and 75.3 percent from the charity stripe — good enough for a 60.8 true-shooting percentage.

The All-Star center played in just two of the four season matchups against the Hawks, averaging 22.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks on 65.3 true-shooting. Per PBP stats, the Heat totaled 125.6 points per 100 possessions when Adebayo was on the floor against the Hawks in those meetings — including 137 points and a 39.2 NET rating when Clint Capela, who injured his knee in the play-in versus the Cleveland Cavaliers (get better soon, Clint!), was off the floor (24 minutes) — albeit the incredibly small sample(s).

This is a breaking news story. We will update when more details become available.