The Miami Heat’s rocky start has put Bam Adebayo under the microscope, and Dwyane Wade didn’t soften the edges when he talked about it.
Miami came into the 2026-27 season with plenty of buzz after landing Giannis Antetokounmpo, giving the Heat a star pairing that was supposed to change the conversation. Instead, the early returns have been uneven. Antetokounmpo has done his part, but the team hasn’t been able to turn that into wins, and Adebayo’s struggles have become impossible to ignore.
Adebayo has been better over the past three games, but the first stretch of the season exposed some rough nights. That’s where Wade’s criticism comes in. As someone who spent his career alongside elite talent, first with Shaquille O’Neal and later with LeBron James, Wade said Adebayo needs to be the one driving things when Antetokounmpo is off the floor.
"He gotta be the number 1 option with the 2nd unit guys. Point blank period.
You can’t be a role player with the role players... There’s no rhythm, flow to the game.
You’d expect them to be a really good defensive team," Wade said on his podcast about Adebayo's role on the Heat.
Wade didn’t stop there. He added, "They’re not a team yet.
Bunch of individual guys that haven’t had uncomfortable conversations yet. They’re great guys individually, but you have to get to some uncomfortable stuff."
That’s the challenge in front of Miami right now. If Adebayo can take command when Antetokounmpo sits, the Heat should look a lot cleaner. But the job is bigger than just ownership of the second unit - he also has to sharpen his decision-making so the offense runs with more efficiency.
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