The Miami Heat are widely viewed as a fringe playoff team this season. Despite the fact that they traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason. Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in the NBA when he is healthy, which has been a struggle.
Last season, Antetokounmpo played only 36 games for the Milwaukee Bucks. Now, he will be paired with Bam Adebayo in the frontcourt. Adebayo doesn’t believe what the media thinks of the Heat, and he thinks this team is much better than that.
Bam Adebayo has High Expectations for the Heat
While speaking with Makeshift Hoops, Adebayo blasted the media for thinking that Miami is a borderline play-in team.
“What excites me is that there is a different energy around us now. We’ve done the underdog story so much and ‘overachieved’, and however people want to explain what happened in the last six years. But I feel like people are still doubting this team, for whatever reason. Somebody said we’re supposed to be a play-in team, and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s crazy. We just got one of the best shooters ever and one of the top-three players in our league. But we’re a play-in team?”
Antetokounmpo is supposed to help the Heat on both ends of the court. The top-three shooter Adebayo is referencing is Klay Thompson, who signed in Miami after being bought out by the Mavericks. He is someone who should be able to help them spread the floor.
Last season, the Heat were 15th in the league in 3-pointers made per game. Adding Thompson and bringing back Tim Hardaway Jr. are supposed to help increase that number. Antetokounmpo hardly shoots 3s, so he won’t be able to help much in that regard.
Last year, Adebayo scored the second-most points in a game in NBA history when he scored 83 against the Wizards. It’s unlikely he ever puts up a night like that again, especially with Antetokounmpo on the roster, taking shots away from him.
Miami has a Championship in Mind With Giannis Antetokounmpo on the Roster
Adebayo clearly believes that the Heat will be better than just a play-in team. He is the second-best player on the team now with Antetokounmpo on the roster. Last season, in the limited games he played, Antetokounmpo averaged 27.6 points per game.
A year ago, the Heat ranked 12th in the NBA in offense. That was with a different roster. However, Miami will be more frontcourt-led this season. Antetokounmpo and Adebayo will be at the forefront of all of the offensive sets that Erik Spoelstra draws up.
The rest of the Eastern Conference got better around Miami. The Knicks are the defending champs, while Indiana, Philadelphia, Washington, and Cleveland all got better. Boston and Detroit are still two of the better teams in the conference, as well.
Staying healthy with an aging roster will be key to Adebayo sticking it to the media.
Bam Adebayo Blasts the Media for Doubting the Heat