Giannis Antetokounmpo looks up to the task of making the Miami Heat an Eastern Conference frontrunner.
The problem is that none of his teammates seem ready to join him in that pursuit. It’s been an ugly start to the season for the likes of Bam Adebayo and Klay Thompson.
Genuinely, who would’ve predicted a Giannis-led Heat team to begin the season 0-4 while Antetokounmpo himself is playing at or near his highest level? No one.
But the slow start has raised obvious concerns. This roster always seemed to have a fit problem, and that still seems true at the moment.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Fit With Bam Adebayo
The Heat knew they had Adebayo as one of their centerpieces, and they chose to trade for Antetokounmpo anyway.
It’s not that there was ever a great alternative for a different move in either direction, but there was an obvious floor-spacing concern from the beginning and it’s playing out that way.
“The most concerning issue here, by far, has been the clunky fit between Heat big man Bam Adebayo and his new frontcourt mate,” The Athletic’s Sam Amick wrote in a new article on Wednesday. “The three-time All-Star who scored 83 points in a single game in March is now averaging just 11.8 (compared to 20.1 last season), 7.3 rebounds (vs. 10) and 3.5 assists (up from 3.2). The Heat’s defensive rating is just 24th in the league, and the offense is even worse (27th). Miami’s net rating is 28th. And no, that’s not a typo.”
Antetokounmpo and Adebayo aren’t the same player, but they have a lot of overlapping traits that don’t necessarily pair super well together.
“Unless they make a drastic trade, I’ve really disliked the fit between Antetokounmpo and Adebayo,” The Athletic’s Dan Woike writes. “Their defensive strengths seem to be duplicative, and neither provides the other with any real spacing.”
Klay Thompson’s Fit With Davion Mitchell
The Heat don’t really have the kind of backcourt creator you’d want to pair with Antetokounmpo.
Thompson seems over the hill, and while Davion Mitchell is playing well in the early going, he’s not a great distributor or a great outside shooter — two traits it’d be nice to have next to Giannis and Bam.
“Between that difficult (Giannis-Bam) dynamic, the questionable backcourt of Davion Mitchell and Klay Thompson and a host of other problems that have already been revealed, missing the Play-In together is legitimately in play,” Amick writes.
Miami could solve some worries if it can get someone like Pelle Larsen to step into a larger role and make more outside shots.
But the Heat are 0-4 and already hoping for contributions from other players to help supplement their stars. It’s just not an ideal situation right now.
Heat’s 0-4 Start Has Bam Adebayo, Klay Thompson Decisions to Blame