Stan Van Gundy didn’t exactly hand out a glowing review of the Miami Heat.
On The Zach Lowe Show, the former Heat coach said Bam Adebayo is overrated offensively, a comment that’s bound to hit a nerve in Miami. Van Gundy also made it clear he’s not especially high on the team as a whole.
“I’m not as high on Miami as people are… The shooting they added compromises them badly on the defensive end of the floor. Even though he was great last year, I’m not sold on Davion Mitchell as a full…”
Adebayo’s offensive résumé is solid, but it still stops short of elite. He remains best known for his pressure and has built a reputation as a reliable force, yet the numbers show he hasn’t fully crossed into star-level offensive territory.
His best scoring season came in 2022-23, when he averaged 20.4 points per game with a 54.1 effective field goal percentage. That was also a year when he was not the primary option.
In his first full season after the Jimmy Butler trade, that efficiency slipped to 49.7.
Even so, there’s a real case for what Adebayo brings. Plenty of teams would take a player who can punish defenses without needing to be the first option, and his offensive game has already helped him reach two NBA Finals while Butler wasn’t exactly stretching defenses from deep.
The fit around him matters, too. With Giannis Antetokounmpo alongside him, Adebayo won’t be asked to carry the kind of load that exposes every hole in his game. Antetokounmpo’s size, strength and speed create a bigger problem for defenses than Butler did, and that can take pressure off Adebayo in ways that matter.
Adebayo’s strengths are obvious enough: he has an above-average handle for his size, elite athleticism and the ability to finish above the rim. What he doesn’t have is the kind of deep shooting touch Chris Bosh brought to the table. That’s where Erik Spoelstra can get creative, whether it’s leaving Adebayo free to take open looks, stationing him at the dunker spot or leaning on him as a secondary playmaker.
He can also be used to attack the space defenses give Miami, whether that’s through a handoff or a screen for a shooter. Preseason has suggested the Heat will keep playing fast the way they did last year, but there will also be stretches when the pace slows for matchup purposes and/or to preserve Antetokounmpo. In those spots, Adebayo can still be a useful point of attack.
Van Gundy didn’t stop at Adebayo. He also questioned Davion Mitchell as the answer at point guard, raised concerns about Antetokounmpo’s durability and expressed doubt about whether the team’s new 3-point shooters can be trusted defensively. The comments were clearly aimed at Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr..
From this side, it’s not hard to see Mitchell handling the Mario Chalmers role or to shrug off the idea that Antetokounmpo’s body is suddenly falling apart. The question about the shooters, though, is tougher to dismiss.
Even with those concerns, the bigger picture still leans positive. The strengths seem to outweigh the doubts, and much of that starts with Antetokounmpo being willing to make it work.
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 🡒]