Four winless games into the season, following a blockbuster offseason trade that saw Giannis Antetokounmpo land in South Beach, panic began to set in among Miami Heat fans.
On Wednesday’s episode of “The Dan LeBatard Show,” longtime show producer and self-proclaimed OG Heat Twitter member Mike Ryan, who has wavered in his support of the Heat in recent years, declared, “20 years ago, Bam’s no longer here.”
Co-host and former (two-time champion) Heat broadcaster Jonathan Zaslow echoed the sentiment, simply responding, “That’s true. That’s true”
Ryan continued, “If Pat Riley were in charge, Bam [Adebayo] is not here, because there is a very obvious flaw with this roster, and it’s been the flaw since we acquired Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and didn’t put the pieces around there.”
Dan LeBatard then pointed to some alarming statistics from the Heat’s first four games.
LeBatard noted that since last season, Adebayo is shooting 31% from 3-point range on 418 attempts.
“It’s a long and big sample of: He’s not good at threes,” LeBatard said.
He then offered another eye-opening statistic.
“Through the first week of the season, the Heat has nine of the 18 worst lineups in the entire league,” LeBatard said. “When Bam and Giannis are on the court together, they’ve been outscored by 45 points in 71 minutes.”
The conversation then shifted to where the Heat’s allegiances should lie.
At last season’s year-end press conference, roughly two months before the Heat traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo, team president Pat Riley said he would never trade Adebayo, “unless somebody gave me eight picks and [Victor] Wembanyama.”
Mike Ryan argued that the Heat’s priorities should now center on Giannis, the superstar they acquired in the offseason.
The lone bright spot to start this season has been Antetokounmpo, who has looked like the best version of himself while putting up impressive numbers. Through the first four games of the season, he averaged 28.5 points and 9.5 rebounds while shooting 56% from the field.
Heat Earn Their First Win Wednesday Night
In the world of sports talk, one win can change everything.
On Thursday’s episode of “The Dan LeBatard Show,” the crew’s tone shifted slightly after Miami earned its first win of the season with a 129-117 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.
Mike Ryan remains unconvinced, however, still questioning the consistency of key contributors around Giannis, particularly Andrew Wiggins and Adebayo.
“I took last night as confirmation on everything that is facing the Miami Heat,” Ryan said on Thursday morning’s episode. “Those guys needed to play better. And if they’re consistent, they’re going to be good. However, you’re counting on guys like Bam [Adebayo] and Andrew Wiggins, who consistency has been a question around their entire careers.”
Heat’s Supporting Cast Must Step Up Around Giannis
In Wednesday night’s win, Wiggins scored 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while Adebayo finished with 24 points and nine rebounds on 8-of-16 shooting. Both players had their best performances of the season, helping Miami secure its first victory.
Through the Heat’s first four games, Wiggins averaged fewer than nine points per game while shooting 40% from the field. Adebayo averaged fewer than 12 points per game, also on 40% shooting.
Miami hosts the Pacers Friday in an NBA Cup game before heading West for a five-game road trip that begins Monday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Heat’s Slow Start Has ‘The Dan LeBatard Show’ Questioning Bam’s Future