The Miami Heat have spent the opening stretch of the season looking for answers, and Bam Adebayo has been right in the middle of that search.
Miami stumbled out to an 0-4 start, and Adebayo was one of the least effective pieces on the floor during that slide. The roughest patch came when he shared the court with the superstar meant to help lift the Heat into contender territory.
In Adebayo’s first 71 minutes alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Miami put up a 105.9 offensive rating and a 132.9 defensive rating. After that, Adebayo took the unusual step of calling himself the “scapegoat.”
The heat around him has been stronger than it’s been at any point in his Heat career, even though he has weathered tough stretches before. In the past, Adebayo had a tendency to fade offensively as the season wore on.
Over the last two seasons, though, the pattern flipped: he started slowly for the first two months and then found his rhythm. Miami does not have the luxury of waiting that long this time.
That is why his outing in Atlanta mattered. Adebayo delivered his best game of the season, finishing with 24 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. He also moved into first place on the Heat’s all-time rebounding list, passing his “OG” and mentor, Udonis Haslem.
There was also a clear basketball reason for the uptick. Miami brought more pick and roll back into the offense, and it gave Adebayo cleaner opportunities to get to his spots while making the half-court attack look more connected.
The wrinkle was especially effective when he was running with a unit that did not include Giannis, whose foul trouble limited their shared minutes to 16. That may be part of Erik Spoelstra’s plan anyway, giving both players time to settle in separately before asking them to mesh for longer stretches.
Eventually, though, the Heat have to make the pairing work. Adebayo and Giannis are set to be together at the start of the first and third quarters, and again in the closing minutes of every competitive fourth.
Their minute split has looked like this so far: G1: ~16 together, 15 Bam only, 14 Giannis only
G2: ~19 together, ~5 Bam only, 14 Giannis only G3: ~16 together, 23 Bam only, 9 Giannis only
G4: 21 together, 9 Bam only, ~18 Giannis only G5: 16 together, 17 Bam only, 15 Giannis only
Spoelstra is still sorting through what fits and what doesn’t with this roster, and the Heat should improve as that picture gets clearer. Adebayo has to do his part, too. He is not going to pour in 83 points any time soon, but if he stays aggressive and keeps himself involved instead of drifting to the corner, Miami has a chance to make this work.
The burden is on him. He’s a two-time Olympic gold medalist, a former All-Star, and he’s on a max contract.
Miami’s next chance comes Friday at home against Indiana, which will be without Tyrese Haliburton.
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