Inside The Heat

Cause for concern about Bam Adebayo?

Ethan J. Skolnick|
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Miami Heat


Bam Adebayo, at this point, should be the least of the Miami Heat's worries.

The nine-year veteran and team captain has been a steadying force on the squad for years, anchoring the defense, earning a max contract and occasionally -- if not as often as some would like -- carrying the offense.

And as the Heat are adjusting to life without the injured Tyler Herro (for now) while incorporating new players such as Norman Powell and empowering young players like Nikola Jovic and Kel'el Ware, Adebayo's contributions have been taken for granted. He spoke at media day of building on his strong two-month finish to the 2024-25 season, and it was assumed he would be fresh without the burdens of Olympic basketball this past summer.

So why has he been underwhelming so far?

Adebayo did splash a three-pointer over 7-foot-5 Victor Wembanyama on Wednesday night, but otherwise wasn't especially aggressive, a trend that carried over from the prior two outings. Granted, Erik Spoelstra is testing a variety of combinations, especially in light of player absences. But fans on social media expressed frustration with Adebayo's output, wanting him to asset himself more often.

Adebayo had just nine points and four rebounds. His backup, Kel'el Ware, had 29 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.

Is there any reason for concern?

No, it's too soon. But Adebayo will be watched, if simply because his slow start to last season, which extended deep into the second month, was a contributing factor -- along with Jimmy Butler's indifference and antics -- to the Heat's slide. Adebayo shot just 42 percent and averaged under 15 points per game through October and November 2024.

He doesn't need to dominate, but he can't spectate either, not as a leader with a significant salary who should be firmly in his prime.

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Ethan J. Skolnick
ETHAN J. SKOLNICK

Ethan has covered all major sports -- in South Florida and beyond -- since 1996 and is one of the longest-tenured fully credentialed members of the Miami Heat. He has covered, in total, more than 30 NBA Finals, Super Bowls, World Series and Stanley Cup Finals. After working full-time for the Miami Herald, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Bleacher Report and several other outlets, he founded the Five Reasons Sports Network in 2019 and began hosting the Five on the Floor podcast as part of that network. The podcast is regularly among the most downloaded one-team focused NBA podcasts in the nation, and the network is the largest independent sports outlet in South Florida, by views, listens and social media reach. He has a B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University and an M.S. from Columbia University. TWITTER: @EthanJSkolnick and @5ReasonsSports EMAIL: fllscribe@gmail.com

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