Bam Adebayo's struggles at heart of Heat's disappointing start to the season

Following a season that featured Bam Adebayo earning his third NBA All-Star nod and All-Defensive first team, the brand was at an all-time high. He capped it off with a new max contract extension over the summer, along with his second Olympic gold medal.

The Adebayo recognition that Heat fans spent so many years building up for him came to a screeching halt this season. As the expectations were lining up for him to have the best year of his career right in the beginning of his prime years, he has disappointed thus far. 

Since bursting onto the scene back in the 2019-20 season, he is putting up his worst averages yet. Adebayo is averaging 15.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists while making just 40% of his shots. The field goal and free throw percentages are a career-low through 10 games. An argument could be made that he has played poorly in eight out of those 10, with his 32-point outing in Mexico City and his 20-point performance on 8 of 13 shooting in Tuesday night's loss to the Pistons counting as the only highlights.

Granted he has averaged career-high 1.9 steals and 1.4 blocks, his individual defense seems to have taken a slight decline early on. Opposing big men like Karl-Anthony Towns and Jusuf Nurkic have had career nights this season against the likes of Adebayo.

Bam Adebayo was primed for a breakout year. So where have things gone wrong?

It starts and ends with 3-point shooting, which is an unfortunate turn from the development he showcased in that department. Adebayo shot a career-best 36% from deep last season (although on just 23 attempts), and that success carried over into the Olympics and preseason. However, he has not been able to find the range during this first stretch of regular-season outings. 

Confidence is key in developing an outside shot, and defenses are daring him to shoot it. Sometimes he lets it fly, but other times he is hesitant and shows doubt. He is averaging 2.4 attempts from 3-point range each game, a major uptick in volume compared to 0.6 last season. 

The problem is that he has not been able to knock them down. Adebayo is shooting nearly 18% on long-range shots, far below expectations. The inefficiency is affecting his overall field goal percentage as well.

There seems to be something off with his shooting in general, as the big man is even missing dotted line bunnies that he has usually made a living off of. The hesitancy in his shot has carried over to his midrange game, which has looked flat to start the year. Although there has been some spurts where he shows signs, he has looked a bit uncomfortable in his abilities, which desperately needs the confidence and aggression to come back.

It may still be early to hit the panic button on Adebayo, but his shooting slump has continued to be a trend that has affected every part of his offensive game.