From Barkley to Van Gundy to Stephen A., national analysts raving about Heat, Butler, Bam

Seats on the Heat bandwagon are filling up fast, and there are a lot of familiar faces jockeying for space, or at the very least, respectfully offering praise where praise is due.

There’s Charles Barkley, who’s leading the charge to put Bam Adebayo in the All-Star Game.

There’s Stephen A. Smith, who’s shouting about this Heat team being special.

There’s Isiah Thomas, raving about what makes this Heat team unique.

There’s Scottie Pippen, talking up the virtues of Jimmy Butler.

And there’s two-third of ABC/ESPN’s lead team - Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy - both lavishing praise on Bam Adebayo and others during the Heat’s win at Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Van Gundy said of Adebayo: “He has great versatility, toughness. You see so many different ways where he impacts the game. He’s a very good passer, from the wing to the high post. He can pick and roll and catch lobs. He’s a terrific offensive rebounder. He’s an improved shooter from mid-range.

“But it’s the versatility in totality that makes him a special player. He has the DNA of a Miami Heat player. He has competitive greatness. Not only is he playing productively, but he’s able to do it in big minutes.”

Breen said coach Erik Spoelstra told him and Van Gundy that “Adebayo is one of the most amazing people he’s ever come across. The difference between what a fierce competitor he is, yet off the floor he’s as humble as any player he’s had. Every day, shakes everybody’s hands, goes locker to locker.”

Barkley, meanwhile, said of Adebayo: “It’s early, but he deserves to be in the All Star Game. He’s been great all year. Adebayo has been the second-best player on that team.”

(Shaquille O’Neal, inexplicably, recently disagreed that Adebayo is an All Star: “Nice try Chuck, but no.”)

Here’s more of what national analysts have been saying about the Heat in recent days:

▪ Van Gundy said Wednesday that Heat guard Kendrick Nunn and Memphis guard Ja Morant “are clearly in a two-way battle for Rookie of the Year.”

▪ Van Gundy called Duncan Robinson an “elite, elite shooter” and predicted he would win the three-point contest during All-Star weekend if he’s invited.

Van Gundy praised his ability to catch and shoot on the move and said “it’s so important for great shooters to find their way to layups, and Robinson” did that twice against Philadelphia.

▪ Barkley also said of Butler: “It’s fair to say Jimmy Butler has been the best free agent signing.”

▪ Pippen said: “The thing I love about Jimmy is he lifts his teammates up. He gives them superior confidence, especially late in games. Every teammate he has all love him.”

ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, on The Jump, interjected: “I wouldn’t say they all love him in Minnesota.”

To which Pippen responded: “They didn’t like winning in Minnesota. They wanted individual stats. Jimmy Butler is a winner.”

Brian Windhorst chimed in: “He’s so valuable in close games. A lot of nights they haven’t had the talent. Now they have the talent at the end of games. And you see it makes a difference. They are without question one of the biggest success stories of the league.”

▪ On NBA TV, Hall of Famer and former Pistons point guard Thomas said: “Don’t you get the feeling that they’re not playing for numbers? They’re one of the few teams in the NBA that I don’t see playing individually for their stats or for their numbers.

“I don’t see any of their guys grabbing the stat sheet saying, ‘Ooh, I wonder how many assists I got, how many rebounds I got?’ I think they’re really playing collectively to try to win basketball games, and that’s all that really matters to them.

“[Butler] feels protected in that environment, where they just want to win. But, also, I think he’s looking around at these young players and he respects Tyler Herro, he respects Kendrick Nunn. Because I do believe they’re competing against him every single day in practice. So there are no easy days for him in practice.”

Thomas said Adebayo “is a guy that didn’t need the basketball. Hassan Whiteside, I believe, after the big contract, wanted to live up to the money, wanted to live up to the contract, consequently, started demanding the basketball.”

▪ And the final word to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith: “The Miami Heat is looking special. They might shock the world.”