Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo will undergo surgery on his right thumb to repair a torn UCL. 

Per an official statement from the team, Adebayo's surgery will take place this weekend, and his return timetable will be determined after the procedure.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Heat center is expected to miss between four and six weeks. 

However, Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com and Rotowire noted the average return from UCL surgery takes roughly seven weeks:

An absence of four to six weeks would keep Adebayo out for as many as 21 games if he takes the full six weeks to recover. 

Adebayo suffered the injury during Monday's 120-111 loss to the Denver Nuggets. There was no indication it was an issue, as he played 35 minutes and had a double-double with 24 points and 13 rebounds. 

The Heat listed Adebayo as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers before the announcement that he had to undergo surgery. 

Losing Adebayo for a significant period of time will impact on Miami in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The team is tied with the Washington Wizards for first place in the Southeast Division with a 13-8 record. 

Adebayo leads the Heat in rebounds (10.2 per game) and ranks third in scoring (18.7 points per game). He is a driving force behind their success on defense and has been named to the All-Defensive second team each of the past two seasons. 

Until Adebayo returns, head coach Erik Spoelstra will likely go with Dewayne Dedmon as his starting center.