Bam Adebayo has obviously been a very good leader throughout his career. His impact in manning the defense, stepping up in certain situations, and being willing to push his teammates further has done a lot of good for the Miami Heat. But his comments after the Dallas Mavericks game were completely unacceptable.
“For me, my shot not going in. I'm not not gonna overthink that. You know, it's funny how the outside noise wants to make me the scapegoat. But when the tables turn, just all that energy, when the energy shifts, just be prepared for that.”
First, the positives. I do agree that when his shots start going in, everything will be a little easier. However, Bam should know that the problems the Heat have at the moment go far beyond just the offense, because the defense that he has traditionally led to greatness has been one of the worst in the NBA over the first few games of the season. Granted, I don't want him to overthink anything because it feels like he's overthinking everything right now, so still with him there.
Bam Adebayo's comments miss the big picture
But to say the "outside noise wants to make me the scapegoat" just feels like an admission that you are letting the outside noise get to you. The best thing to do when you have outside noise is just to live up to expectations, which Bam and every other player and coach on the Heat, outside of Giannis, Davion Mitchell, and Bobby Portis, are not doing.
Unfortunately, though, you're the captain with a huge contract, and you should absolutely be held to a higher standard.
Compare what Bam said to what Giannis said, and there's a vast difference in "leadership styles" or approaches between the two.
"We all have to take a deep breath, and eventually, we're gonna figure it out. You cannot press the panic button and panic because it's only gonna get worse if you start panicking, man. I've been in this position before. I've lost five in a row. I've lost seven in a row. I've won 10 in a row. I've won 18 in a row. You just gotta keep on playing basketball — you're gonna figure it out,"
Nowhere did Giannis say anything about being "scapegoated" or even mention the outside noise. He said the right thing at the right time. This type of quote is all I expect from Bam. No excuses, just an honest quote that gives fans confidence.
Giannis' quote gives me hope. Bam's does not. It's that simple when you're the leader of not only your team but also the face of a franchise that fans are looking to latch onto.
Bam had such an easy opportunity to use this slow start to prove he's the leader the Heat needs. Instead, his comments just fell flat.
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