Erik Spoelstra, Bam Adebayo send urgent message to Heat

11/02/2024 12:21 PM

As the Miami Heat prepare to face the Washington Wizards in Mexico City, there are still questions regarding the offense that has been mildly concerning to start the season. Part of has been the lack of involvement from Heat center Bam Adebayo and even a total low usage rate for Jimmy Butler as head coach Erik Spoelstra explains the team’s performance through the first four games of the season.

A main reason some can point to to a slow start for the offense is because of the amount of talent on that side of the ball for Miami. Along with Adebayo and Butler are Nikola Jovic and the guard tandem of Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier as both are first and second in points per game respectively. This led Spoelstra to say that it will take a little bit more for everybody “to get on the same page” according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

"We have the benefit now of having everybody healthy and ready to go," Spoelstra said Friday to the media during a press conference in Mexico. "These are good challenges to have is to figure out how to be aggressive. Everybody wants to make it work. If you have more weapons, sometimes it takes a little bit of time to get on the same page. But we will, guys have great intentions."

Heat’s Bam Adebayo addresses slow start to the season amidst low usage

There is some validity to Spoelstra’s thoughts as the big narrative in the offseason and preseason was the Heat’s starting lineup gaining chemistry since the five aforementioned players did not play one second together last season. The biggest hit has been to Adebayo though in terms of offensive production from last season to the present time where he has struggled to get in rhytm on offense, likely due to having to share the ball with other offensive talent.

"I feel like that's a Spo question," Adebayo said Friday when asked by the media on how he can get more involved in the offense. "My job is to go out there and make sure we win."

Heat’s Erik Spoelstra takes blame for lack of Bam Adebayo in offense

While some may see that as a non-answer blames Spoelstra, that is for sure an overreaction as besides Adebayo’s commitment to win with Miami, the head coach himself as taken accountability for the lack of usage. After the Heat lost to the Knicks last Wednesday night, Spoelstra would talk about not putting Adebayo in positions where “he can feel more comfortable.”

"But obviously we need to get the ball to Bam too, you know. And that’s on me. I have to find a way," Spoelstra said. "This is not about a new offense, this is about having all of our guys healthy. We have the most weapons that we have, and we score, you know, 107 points. You know, that’s not what we’re aiming for right now. You know, everybody’s got to be able to feel aggressive. They got to be able to feel like themselves and you know, we’ll get there, and that’s on me to get Bam in the spots where he can feel more comfortable whether that’s pick and roll, whether it’s flashes, you know, the elbow, whether it’s in the post, all the different areas where he can, we’ll get better with that."

Erik Spoelstra talks about the offense later about holding himself accountable for not getting Bam Adebayo into his spots.

"It's one me to get Bam in his spots where he can feel more comfortable…" #HeatNationpic.twitter.com/BlVRtKmBgC

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) October 31, 2024

Heat’s Jimmy Butler on relatively low usage, Tyler Herro on Bam Adebayo

While Herro and Rozier have showed their “killer mentality” and impressed to start the season, the offense in general has been nothing special as they are 22nd in offensive rating. Butler has been part of the lack of usage compared to last season where he and Adebayo would be the main duo that averaged 27.5 shots per game last year compared to 20.3 in the present.

"We just got to know where the ball gotta go," Butler said. "We got to go find our guys, put them in a spot to be successful, we got to do better at. Seeing the mismatches, knowing when somebody ain’t have the ball for a minute, and get it to him and let it attack."

Adebayo has been seen as the “cornerstone” of the Heat franchise where he has been one of the main offensive engines, which people thought would only increase since he added a three-point shot to his arsenal. Still, Herro would say after the loss to the Knicks that he is not worried about his teammate and that he will turn it around sooner rather than later.

"I mean just finding ways to get him the ball in his areas that can make our offense, you know, continue to rise," Herro said. "I don’t want to use the wrong words obviously, he’s one of our best players, and we have to give him the ball, continuing to find advantages where he can get the ball and expose mismatches, but I like to see him continue to be aggressive. He’ll get it going, it's early on in the season. I don’t think there’s anything that we’re worried about with Bam. He puts the work in, and he always figures it out."

Tyler Herro speaks on the offense needing to get Bam Adebayo more involved in the offense. #HeatNationpic.twitter.com/RWszBTpPwr

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) October 31, 2024

Heat’s Terry Rozier on blaming himself for slow Bam Adebayo start

Someone else who takes accountability is Rozier who was traded to the Heat by the Charlotte Hornets right before the trade deadline last season. Since he is the starting point guard of the team, he said that the team is still trying to find the balance of everybody together and says he’s partly to blame for not giving Adebayo time to work in the offense.

"Just to give a different look, different rhythm, you know, some of those fronts and downs, pick and rolls again, some of the things that were working the first half were not working," Rozier said. "You know, those are some of the decisions you have to make as a head coach. In the fourth quarter, I made a lot of wrong decisions. That’s on me.

We just got guys that’s connected and trying to play together, you know, we all know that we got to get Bam more shots, and we got to get him in his rhythm. So that’s something that you know got to talk about, and starting with me, I gotta do a better job of but, you know, sometimes you out there just playing, you got guys that’s trying to connect with others out there sometimes. Best shot may not be for Bam, but like I said, I gotta demand it and make sure he’s feeling himself from now on."

Terry Rozier on Bam Adebayo getting more usage on offense.

"We all know we got to get Bam more shots…" #HeatNationpic.twitter.com/YawVwJiWiG

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) October 31, 2024

At any rate, the Heat are currently 2-2 and have a prime opportunity to bounce back and beat the Wizards Saturday night in Mexico.

The post Erik Spoelstra, Bam Adebayo send urgent message to Heat appeared first on ClutchPoints.