MIAMI – With the Miami Heat off to their worst start in almost two decades after Monday night’s 113-109 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, it was another disappointing outing for star Bam Adebayo. As Adebayo is off to a slow start with the Heat, he acknowledged the early struggles and how he’s been talked about in the sports world.
In the loss to Dallas, Adebayo finished with eight points on making just three out of 10 shot attempts from the field to go along with eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals. This now puts Adebayo at averaging 11.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 40 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from three-point range.
Heat’s Bam Adebayo says outside noise has labeled him as a “scapegoat”
Adebayo has been targeted for his play to start the season, including some former players like Kevin Garnett, who said that the way the 29-year-old is playing isn’t “superstar s***.” Speaking about his slump, he would address whether the struggles can be linked to the ongoing adjustment process of playing with Giannis Antetokounmpo, leading him to call out the “outside noise” for ousting him as the “scapegoat.”
“No, can’t overthink basketball, man. For me, it’s my shot not going in. I’m not gonna overthink that,” Adebayo said to ClutchPoints. “You know, it’s funny how the outside noise wants to make me the scapegoat. But when the tables turn, just all that energy…when the energy shifts, just be prepared for that.”
“I got expectations for myself, but, obviously, the outside noise got expectations for us,” Adebayo continued. “So for me, I know what I’m capable of. I’m not gonna overthink that. Like I said, you know, we’re 0-4 right now. I’d rather it be right now than this be midway through the season or in April. Because what if we go on a 10-game winning streak? Then how does the noise change?”
Asked Bam Adebayo about his struggles and if it’s because he’s still learning how to play with Giannis: #Heat
“No, can't overthink basketball, man. For me, my shot not going in. I'm not not gonna overthink that. You know, it's funny how the outside noise wants to make me the… pic.twitter.com/YwPViddscZ
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) October 27, 2026
Asked Bam Adebayo about him saying that the outside noise has been using him as the scapegoat and why he thinks that is: #Heat
“I got expectations for myself, but, obviously, the outside noise got expectations for us. So for me, I know what I'm capable of. I'm not gonna… pic.twitter.com/RB1DTSoF3B
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) October 27, 2026
Heat’s Giannis Antetokounmpo on Bam Adebayo’s early struggles
As the Heat continue to get acclimated to Antetokounmpo’s play style, the two-time MVP has been impressing with his new team, as he recorded his first triple-double with Miami against the Mavericks. Recording 29 points on 12 of 23 shooting from the field, two of four from deep, to go along with 15 rebounds and 11 assists.
With the vision of the Heat centered around the dynamic duo of Antetokounmpo and Adebayo, the former Milwaukee Buck would say to ClutchPoints that his new star teammate is not alone in the team’s rough patch.
“I think it’s not just Bam; it’s everybody,” Antetokounmpo said. “You know, everybody. We try to figure out where we fit in and what we gotta do, kind of try to not step on our toes. I do it myself at times. I find myself just like floating around and trying to like see how to help the team, but at the end of the day, I feel like when I’m at my best, when any player is at his best, is when he’s decisive.”
“If you’re a downhill player, play downhill. If you’re a three-point shooter, hunt threes,” Antetokounmpo continued. “Then it takes the thought process out of the game. You don’t think, you just play, and not just for Bam, for every single person, just play basketball…Slowly, the team will figure it out.”
Asked Giannis about the slow start for Bam Adebayo and if he’s still adapting to playing with him: #Heat
“I think it's not just Bam; it's everybody. You know, everybody. We try to figure out where we fit in and what we gotta do. Kind of try to not step on our toes…I do it… pic.twitter.com/A1OfyWvEtV
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) October 27, 2026
It’s a simple fix for head coach Erik Spoelstra, as he believes that Adebayo “just needs to see the ball go in,” though they’ll put in work to get the star in his comfortable spots. At any rate, it remains to be seen when Adebayo snaps out of his funk, with the next chance coming Wednesday as the Heat look for their first win of the season against the Atlanta Hawks.
The post Bam Adebayo addresses ‘scapegoat’ label amid Heat’s brutal 0-4 start appeared first on ClutchPoints.
