Bam Adebayo says the outside noise wants to make him ‘the scapegoat’ as the Heat fall to 0-4, while Davion Mitchell says he must be more aggressive

Bam Adebayo went 3-of-10 from the field and 0-of-5 from three on Monday night as the Miami Heat lost 113-109 to Dallas and fell to 0-4, their first 0-4 start since the 2007-08 season. When he was asked if his slow start is about learning to play next to Giannis Antetokounmpo, he said no.

“No, can’t overthink basketball, man. For me, my shot not going in. I’m not gonna overthink that,” Adebayo said. “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.”

Adebayo’s answer about the outside noise, posted by Zach Weinberger on X.

‘What if we go on a 10-game winning streak?’

Asked why he thinks he is the one being targeted, Adebayo said he has his own expectations for himself. “Obviously, the outside noise got expectations for us. So for me, I know what I’m capable of. I’m not gonna overthink that,” he said. “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?”

The numbers show why the questions keep coming. Adebayo had 8 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in 30 minutes against Dallas. Through four games he is averaging 11.8 points on 40.0% shooting, and he has made 3 of 18 threes. He scored 15 against Minnesota in the opener, 4 in 23 minutes against Detroit and 20 in Charlotte.

Antetokounmpo had 29 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists for his first triple-double with Miami, but he made only 3 of 7 free throws, and the Heat went 14-of-25 at the line. Adebayo’s tip-in with 49.5 seconds left cut the lead to 111-109, but Cooper Flagg blocked Andrew Wiggins’ jumper and scored at the rim to seal it.

Davion Mitchell: ‘He’s got to be more aggressive’

Davion Mitchell, who scored 21, said part of the problem is on him as the point guard, and part of it is about spacing. “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,” Mitchell said. “He’s still, I think, trying to figure it out, because I said this before, I think him and Giannis play in the same spaces. And then when Giannis is on the floor, he can’t be in those spaces. But it’s something to get used to.”

“I don’t want to keep saying that it’s early, early, early, but it is,” Mitchell added. “If you really look at the mix of things, it is early. So I think we’re still gonna figure it out.”

Mitchell on Adebayo and Antetokounmpo sharing the same spaces, posted by Zach Weinberger on X.

Spoelstra: ‘He just needs to see the ball go in’

Erik Spoelstra said the looks were there. “He just needs to see the ball go in. He had some good, clean looks. Just wasn’t able to capitalize on them,” Spoelstra said. “But I know his makeup and his resiliency. We’ll work together to find a way to get him aggressive in his spots where he’s comfortable.”

Miami’s next chance at a first win comes on Wednesday at Atlanta at 7 p.m. ET, which is 2 a.m. Thursday in Cairo. The Heat then host Indiana on Friday.