The Heat will need more from Bam Adebayo if they get Giannis Antetokounmpo

A lot is expected from those paid big-time money.

Apr 12, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) warms-up before a game against the Atlanta Hawks at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Miami Heat are still considered the front runners to land Giannis Antetokounmpo, and bringing him in gives them a good chance to be dangerous loomers like they were at the beginning of the Jimmy Butler era. After getting the big fish, the next important part is Bam Adebayo reclaiming his All-Star status and taking another step while in prime. 

Keep in mind that Karl-Anthony Towns, the center for the New York Knicks, has done wonderful work to his reputation by upping his intensity on defense in recent years and most impressively, was averaging over five assists for most of the 2026 playoffs when being a playmaker wasn’t his game before. He stepped up because he badly wanted to be a champion.

Adebayo is a fine player, and the next step for him would look like taking eight freebies per game. He averaged 5.8 last season and his career high was 6.1 in 2021-22, when he played with Jimmy Butler, who wasn’t much of a shooter.

This will be important to do because it will give them a chance to set up their defense after the last attempt, and think of how suffocating him on one side and Giannis on the other can be. Giannis should be expected to at least take 10 per game (assuming a trade of course), and the goal for them should be to be the best big-man combo in the NBA. 

Adebayo has been prone to slow starts, but it’s a mental thing more than what coverages are doing. I asked him about when the Heat played in San Antonio on Oct. 30, and he said was just missing shots. It can’t be the narrative this season with or without Giannis. 

Sharing the burden

The best part about pairing them is that it would take pressure off the captain on the court. It should lead to him having his best shooting season from 10 to 16 feet since 2022-23, when he logged 49.7 percent of attempts in the regular season and 42.1 percent in the playoffs. He was statistically better the next playoffs, but it was in 18 less games. 

Another big-time player who has taken his game to new heights is Aaron Gordon. As many Heat fans recall, he was on the Denver Nuggets team that beat Miami in the 2023 Finals, and he’s become a much deadlier 3-point shooter since, without sacrificing his macho style.

Just because someone's body has physically peaked doesn't mean their mind has nor does it mean they can't acquire new skills. Adebayo, who has been one of the most important players in Heat history, should want more for himself.