The Miami Heat are staring down an ugly 0-4 hole to kick off their 2026-27 season, and after trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer, that’s not what anyone in Miami signed up for. Their 113-109 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night was just the latest gut punch, and the nightmare scenario about Giannis and Bam Adebayo trying to share the court is already a full-blown reality after only four games.
Bam’s Career-Worst Start Is Undeniable
Bam Adebayo is having the absolute worst start to a season of his career since becoming a full-time starter. It’s rough, folks. He’s averaging just 11.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. Worse yet, his shooting splits are brutal: 40.0 percent from the field, 16.7 percent from deep, and 61.5 percent from the line. Every single one of those is a career low. Adebayo himself feels like critics are making him “the scapegoat” for Miami’s early struggles, but with a roster already thin on offensive talent, you just can’t have your second star playing this badly without a massive spotlight. It’s only four games, sure, but this is about as bad as it gets.
Davion Mitchell Calls Out The Awkward Fit
Davion Mitchell, the Heat’s starting point guard, didn’t pull any punches when asked about Adebayo’s struggles after that Mavericks loss. He laid it all out there, plain and simple, via ESPN: “I think I got to do a better job of not letting [Adebayo] get lost in the game. He got to be more aggressive. I think that he will. He’s still trying to figure it out because I said this before, I think him and Giannis play in the same spaces, and then when Giannis is on the floor, he’s on the floor. He can’t be in those spaces, and but it’s something to get used to.”
That’s the core of the problem, right there. Mitchell nailed it: Giannis and Bam want to operate in the exact same spots. And if it’s a choice between the two, Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to get his way. That forces Adebayo into uncomfortable situations, even when he does get the ball in his preferred spots. The spacing is completely off because Giannis also wants to attack the paint constantly. Here’s the kicker, though: Giannis’s history, especially with Damian Lillard, tells us he’s not one to “adjust his game tremendously” for a co-star. He apparently “didn’t want to be part of a pick-and-roll.” This isn’t just about Bam adjusting. This is a fundamental clash.
This isn’t some four-game fluke, this is a structural problem that was always feared with this “new-look Heat.” Can Adebayo figure out how to coexist and redefine his game, or is this partnership, and Miami’s season, already in deep trouble? The league is watching, and Miami needs some serious answers, fast.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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