MIAMI – With the Miami Heat in the midst of a frustrating 0-4 start to the regular season, one aspect of the team that the sports world has been pointing to as a major issue is the early play of star Bam Adebayo. As Adebayo goes through a brutal start for the Heat, point guard Davion Mitchell has advice for the captain that could solve the issues of the team.
In Miami's 113-109 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night, Adebayo recorded his second single-digit points game with eight points on shooting three of 10 from the field, missing all five three-pointers. To go along with eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and two steals, all eyes have been on the scoring numbers.
It's clear that besides shots not falling, he's still working on how to play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, as Mitchell points out that this is an adjustment process, stressing that he's confident Adebayo will figure it out.
“Drive to the paint and give easy looks. Give him more easy looks. I think I got to do a better job of not letting him get lost in the game. But he also got to be intentional. He got to be more aggressive. I think that he will,” Mitchell said.
“He's still, I think, trying to figure it out…I think him and Giannis play in the same spaces, and then when Giannis is on the floor, he's on the floor,” Mitchell continued. “He can't be in those spaces, but it's something to get used to.”
Davion Mitchell on Bam Adebayo’s struggles: #Heat
“I think I got to do a better job of not letting him get lost in the game. He got to be more aggressive. I think that he will. He's still, I think, trying to figure it out because I said this before, I think him and Giannis play… pic.twitter.com/MxYkyyESln
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) October 27, 2026
Heat's Bam Adebayo off to a slow start
Through four games, Adebayo is averaging 11.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, shooting 40 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from beyond the arc.
He would say after the Heat's loss to ClutchPoints that he's not going to “overthink” his slump, further saying later that he's gotten out of prior shooting slumps by just continuing to shoot and sticking to his strengths.
Article Continues BelowAsked 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
Bam Adebayo on what he’s learned from past shooting slumps that he use in the present: #Heat
“Keep shooting. That's the simplest thing, you know. Like I said, you don't want to overthink this because then you’ll get an even more of a slump. Keep shooting the basketball…” pic.twitter.com/wLfpB1DmxU
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) October 27, 2026
At any rate, the next opportunity for Adebayo to get out of his rut will be on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks as Miami looks for their first win.

