Bam Adebayo feels that he takes an excessive amount of blame for HeatStart 0-4, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. He is averaging 11.8 points per game and shooting 40% from the field after posting averages of 20.1 points and 44.2% shooting last season. Adebayo scored just eight points in 30 minutes against Dallas on Monday.
“Can’t think about basketball, man. The thing for me is that my shot isn’t going in the net.” Adebayo said. “It’s funny how outside noise wants to scapegoat me, but when the situation changes … when the energy shifts, just be ready for it.”
Adebayo, who is in the first year of a three-year, $160.3 million extension, also believes the media is too eager to criticize when times are tough and less eager to praise when things are going well.
“The media will remain the media” Adebayo said. “They’ll try to bury you when you’re down and then quietly when you get up, so you expect that from the media.”
Adebayo is approaching a major milestone. He has just seven rebounds from the break Udonis HaslemA franchise record 5,791 tackles in a Heat uniform.
Here’s more on Heat:
- Tim Hardaway Jr was happy this summer when he signed a one-year, $6.5 million contract to join the Heat, the team his father helped reach the Eastern Conference finals in 1997. But Hardaway got off to a slow start, making just five of 25 shots through the first four games. He averaged 13.5 points per game for Denver last season while shooting 44.7% from the field and remains confident that a breakthrough will come soon. “Everybody’s really looking, really trying to create an offense for themselves to get themselves going instead of letting the offense dictate and letting the game come to them, including me.” Hardaway said, trans Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “For the most part, I’d like to get more shots in rhythm, but now it’s doing the little things and the offense will come.”
- Pele Larson, Bobby Portis, Drew Smith and Hardaway were that coach’s reserves Erik Spoelstra used on Monday until Nikola Jovich did not play Anthony Chung of the Miami Herald notes. Jovic, who played in the first three games, is in the first year of a four-year, $62.4 million extension.
- Janis Antecumpawho is averaging 28.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, is still waiting for his first win as a member of the Heat. “We all have to take a deep breath and eventually we’ll figure it out.” Antetokounmpo said Chan. “You can’t hit the panic button and panic. Because it’s only going to get worse if you start panicking. … You’ve just got to keep playing basketball. You’re going to figure it out. But once you figure it out, you can’t let it go. Feel what you’re feeling right now. I’m feeling what I’m feeling right now. I don’t like that feeling. The moment we turn it around, I’ll always remember that feeling and try not to go back to that feeling.”
- Miami’s injury report is relatively short for their game in Atlanta on Wednesday. Simone Fontecchio questionable due to illness and did not travel with the team, Chang tweets Larson’s (ankle sprain) is listed as probable.
