“MY DAWG BACK!!” – Draymond Green reacts to Bam Adebayo’s return from injury

Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo made his return Monday, and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green took to social media to express his excitement.

The fifth-year player had thumb surgery and was sidelined for 22 consecutive games, last playing Nov. 29. His return is a huge boost for the Miami Heat (28-16), who are second in the Eastern Conference.

Green posted his joy on Instagram. The two have shared a relationship since playing for Team USA:

"MY DAWG BACK!!"

Draymond Green expresses excitement on the return of Bam Adebayo

Bam Adebayo returns to the Miami Heat

The Miami Heat have navigated around the injuries to their two top players, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, to assert themselves as one of the East's top teams. Adebayo's return will give Miami a big boost in the middle. Butler, a five-time All-Star, had missed 15 of 21 games since Nov. 27 with an ankle injury, but he has played the past three games.

The Heat went 1-4 in their first five games after losing Butler and Adebayo in late November and were 14-11 on Dec. 6. But Miami has won 14-5 since then to improve to 28-16.

It looks as if the Heat are finally getting back to full health. Miami (63.6%) has won seven of their last 10 games and are percentage points behind the Chicago Bulls (27-15, 64.3%) for the lead in the East.

When Miami has been at full health, they've been an absolute force. After an impressive offseason that saw Miami bring in veteran guard Kyle Lowry, the Heat have looked like one of the NBA's most dangerous teams.

Expand Tweet

Adebayo returned to the starting lineup Monday and finished with 14 points and nine rebounds in a 104-99 home win over the Toronto Raptors.

Miami has a chance to keep building momentum. The Heat will play five of their next six games at home against a slate of mediocre teams. The Portland Trail Blazers (18-25) visit Wednesday before Miami visits the Atlanta Hawks (18-25) on Friday. They then return for games against the LA Lakers (22-22), New York Knicks (22-22), LA Clippers (22-23) and Toronto Raptors (21-20).

With Adebayo back in the mix, the Heat are going to be on a mission to try to take control of the top seed in the Eastern Conference. If the first half of the season showed anything, it's that the Heat can be a serious force when firing on all cylinders.