After an extremely rough start to the season, it finally appears as if the Miami Heat's dynamic duo of Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo is turning the corner.
Through the first four games of the season, Bam and Giannis were borderline unplayable. It wasn't even just the team's 0-4 start to the season; it was the fact that when they were on the floor together, the team just wasn't good.
When Giannis and Bam shared the floor together during those first four games, the Heat had a 132.9 defensive rating and a -31.6 net rating. It wasn't a huge sample size, but in those first 71 minutes played together, it was a disaster throughout.
There's been a shift for Giannis and Bam over the last seven games
However, over the past seven games, there's certainly been a shift. Part of that could be a softer schedule, but I'd have to imagine that the biggest reason for the positive change is the fact that Giannis and Bam are getting more comfortable playing with each other.
The Heat are 5-2 in their last seven, but I'd argue that the most encouraging trend is that when Giannis and Bam share the floor, the team has a 107 defensive rating and an 8.6 net rating. That's nearly a 40-point difference in net rating from the first four games of the season to the last seven.
As Giannis and Bam may still be trying to figure things out offensively, especially with the supporting cast that surrounds them, it does appear as if they've made strides on the defensive end. And, as nearly every Heat player has been echoing, it's that elevated defensive play that has helped Miami start to climb out of their early-season hole.
But the Heat aren't completely out of the woods just yet. It's one thing to beat the LA Clippers, Sacramento Kings, and Utah Jazz, who are a combined 2-29 on the season. It's another to beat actual playoff-contending teams. And that's the test that the Heat will have in front of them as their upcoming five-game home stand begins.
In fact, eight of the Heat's next nine games will be against projected playoff teams. In other words, over the next few weeks, the Heat will not only find out if they're more of the 0-4 team they were to start the year, or the 5-2 team they've been of late, but they'll also get a closer look at this Giannis and Bam fit against elite opponents.
At least for now, though, it does appear as if the Giannis and Bam duo has turned the corner on their early growing pains. And that's only good news for a team that is still trying to find its footing.
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