When Bam Adebayo is on the floor, it doesn't seem like anything is going right for the Miami Heat's captain. He is struggling on defense, can't seem to find the bottom of the basket on offense, and is clearly still trying to find his sweet spot while playing off of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
What has it all led to? Well, a 0-4 start for the Heat.
And after their latest loss at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks, Davion Mitchell, who has been the straw that has stirred the Heat offense of late, got brutally honest about Bam's struggles. One post-game admission could end up stinging Bam more than he'd like it to.
"I have to do a better job of not letting him get lost in the game, but he also has to be intentional. He gotta be more aggressive. Him and Giannis play in the same spaces so when Giannis is on the floor with him, he can't be in those same spaces."
Bam Adebayo needs to figure out how to play off Giannis Antetokounmpo
Mitchell was asked by reporters what he could do to help Bam get going offensively. While Mitchell did take some responsibility for that, he also put the onus back on Bam, the captain. And he's 100 percent right, no matter how brutal it may sound.
Bam has to be more intentional when he's out there. For as much as he may not be putting the pressure on himself to do so, and it sure did sound that way during his post-game comments, there is a significant amount of expectation on his shoulders as the primary supporting star next to Giannis.
Right now, he's just not living up to those expectations. And whether he's willing to believe it or not, Bam's poor play this season has probably cost the Heat two wins. His 3-for-10 shooting night against the Mavs was certainly the difference on Monday night.
But it's not even the lack of aggression that is the biggest concern in the eyes of Mitchell. The last part of that quote is what might be the real problem for the Heat's offense right now. It's the fact that he and Giannis are trying to play in the same spots when they're on the floor together.
That's just not going to work.
Bam needs to make an adjustment to his game
Whether it's coaching or Bam himself, there needs to be some level of adjustment. And I believe that's going to happen eventually, but especially with the losses piling up, it can't happen soon enough.
It's similar to what the Heat had to battle through during the Big 3 era. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James went through these same struggles, and it culminated in a 9-8 start to the season. Eventually, LeBron and Wade figured it out, and they would go on to make four straight NBA Finals.
The question is, can Bam and Giannis do the same? Forget the NBA Finals appearances; can they just find a way to coexist, and in a positive way, on the court together?
This may not be what Bam wants to hear, as he's shooting 17 percent from the 3-point range this season, but Mitchell couldn't have been more right. There are so many other factors weighing on this disappointing start to the season for the Heat, but there's no question that the massive struggles from Bam just make everything look (and feel) worse.
He's got to find a way to turn it around. And when he does, I'd imagine the Heat will look significantly better. It all starts with the stars. Once they're right and playing in rhythm together, everything else will work itself out.
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