Stan Van Gundy didn’t shy away from the Bam Adebayo debate.
Speaking Thursday on the Zach Lowe podcast, the former Miami Heat coach gave a blunt assessment of the Heat big man, calling him a “little overrated.” It was part of a broader conversation in which Van Gundy also said he wasn’t impressed with what he’s seen from Miami in the preseason.
Van Gundy pointed to Miami’s defense as a problem and said the team doesn’t have steady enough play at point guard. Davion Mitchell, who has plenty of support from Heat fans, apparently hasn’t earned that same level of national respect.
He did have one positive note for the Heat, praising Andrew Wiggins and describing him as underrated.
But the sharpest comments were reserved for Adebayo, who remains one of the league’s most polarizing stars. For years, the Miami center has split opinion almost down the middle: some see a uniquely versatile force, while others keep landing on the same conclusion that he’s overrated. There doesn’t seem to be much middle ground.
That’s part of what makes the criticism around Adebayo so persistent. Even with three All-Star selections on his résumé, the skepticism hasn’t gone away. It followed him after last year’s 83-point game against the Washington Wizards, a performance that was supposed to quiet doubts about his scoring.
His defense has also become part of the conversation in a way it wasn’t before. Where he once drew broad recognition as one of the league’s better defenders, some are now not even placing him inside the top 25 at that end of the floor.
The scrutiny seems to have intensified once team president Pat Riley made it clear he was willing to make Adebayo the cornerstone of the franchise. From there, the target only got bigger, and it kept growing when the Heat were comfortable enough to give up so much young talent this offseason to build around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Adebayo.
In Other News...
Heat May Have Found A Giannis Fit They Didn't Expect
Simone Fontecchio has quietly given Miami a reason to pay attention this preseason. In the game against Brooklyn, the Heat wing put up 11 points in less than 14 minutes and knocked down 3 of 4 shots from deep, a useful reminder of why his floor-spacing profile matters. Last season, he connected on 37.5 percent of his three-pointers, and that kind of shooting is exactly the sort of skill set that can travel in a rotation built around a star who draws so much defensive attention.
For the Heat, the appeal is less about flash and more about fit. Fontecchio does not need the ball to matter, and if his outside shot holds, he could become the kind of depth piece that quietly makes lineups work better alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. The preseason sample is still small, of course, but Miami has every reason to keep tracking whether this is a hot stretch or the start of something more reliable. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Just Sent A Clear Signal About Their Young Frontcourt
The Heat continued shaping their developmental pipeline by signing forward Ezra Ausar to an Exhibit 10 contract and waiving Ian Schieffelin in a corresponding move. Both players are expected to land with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, giving Miami another look at young frontcourt talent as the organization trims down its roster ahead of the regular season.
For a team that has long valued internal development, the latest transaction fits neatly into the bigger picture. Exhibit 10 deals can help funnel prospects into the G-League system, and with the Skyforce standing as Miamis main proving ground, this move adds another name to the mix as the Heat continue finalizing the young core they want in place for the year ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Bam Adebayos Absence Puts Miamis New Frontcourt Plans On Edge
Bam Adebayo will sit out the Miami Heats final preseason game with a groin injury, staying back in Miami while the team heads to face the Orlando Magic. Its the latest missed chance for the Heat to see how their frontcourt is coming together, and it comes after Adebayo was already unavailable for previous preseason games as the staff continued sorting through rotations and options.
Erik Spoelstra has leaned on alternatives such as Nick Richards while Adebayo has been out, but the bigger question is still hanging over the start of the season. Adebayos status for the regular-season opener remains uncertain, leaving Miami to keep evaluating how it wants to piece together the front line if its anchor big man is not ready to go. [Read more 🡒]