NBA News: Bam Adebayo highlights mindset shift as crucial factor in Miami Heat's win over Indiana

The Miami Heat had been struggling in the early stages of the 2024-25 NBA season, dropping four of their last five games amid injuries—most notably to Jimmy Butler—and a morale dip within the team. However, Friday night’s performance against the Indiana Pacers signaled a dramatic shift in energy and focus. Bam Adebayo, who was pivotal in the win, shared a key insight into what helped Miami bounce back.

“It really weighs on you when you lose games like that, especially the way we lost,” Adebayo told The Miami Herald, referencing the Heat’s recent loss to the Detroit Pistons due to a costly error by Erik Spoelstra in the final moments. “I know it weighed on us, but I know it definitely weighed on our coach a lot.”

However, the 27-year-old center later acknowledged a significant shift in the team’s mindset following the loss in Detroit. “After that, we had a great day of practice and a great shootaround today, and we brought that energy into the game,” Adebayo explained, emphasizing the Heat’s mental resilience in moving past setbacks to rediscover their best form.

Adebayo was undoubtedly the driving force behind Miami‘s victory over Indiana on Friday. The center delivered a stellar performance, racking up 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists over 39 minutes of play. His efforts were complemented by strong contributions from his teammates, with six other players scoring in double figures.

Tyler Herro #14 and Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat slaps hands in the second quarter against the Atlanta Hawks in preseason action at FTX Arena on October 04, 2021 in Miami, Florida.

Adebayo steps up when it matters

Bam Adebayo’s recent performances had been solid, but they often lacked the results to back them up. With Jimmy Butler sidelined due to injury, the Heat needed Adebayo to emerge as their new leader—and he delivered in a big way at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

“It’s one of those things where it’s unnatural to see me shoot under 50 percent every night. So I just keep my same mentality. My teammates are behind me, my coaches are behind me, they know I’m going to make plays and tonight I did that,” Adebayo explained. And then he highlighted as keys to his improvement: “Just staying with the preparation, staying with the work behind the scenes, not getting down on myself.”

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NBA News: Heat's Spoelstra makes something clear about Jimmy Butler's return ahead of Indiana game

Spoelstra commends Adebayo’s leadership

Erik Spoelstra praised Bam Adebayo’s performance and his influence in the Heat’s win against the Pacers. “We were able to kind of settle the game, which is what great players can help you do, by going into the post and playing him at the elbow and those kinds of things that just kind of settled us,” the head coach explained. “Then once he got going there, got some free throws, he was able to knock down some threes. We were all really thrilled for him because he did it the right way.”