The Miami Heat suffered a tough 108-89 defeat to the Boston Celtics in a NBA regular season game, but the bigger concern is the rough start to the season for team captain Bam Adebayo, who is facing his career-worst shooting struggles.
In the loss to the Celtics, Adebayo finished with just 15 points, shooting 6-18 from the field and 1-4 from beyond the arc. Currently, the Heat captain is averaging 15.6 points per game, which is his lowest mark since his 15.9 average during the 2019-20 season.
Despite the underwhelming performance so far this season, Adebayo remains confident that his shooting will improve. “Everybody is not going to have a great game every game. It is what it is,” Adebayo said, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “For me, it’s not losing confidence in who I am.”
“It’s not overthinking the game too much because then you’ll start making other mistakes,” he continued. “It’s one of those things where I’m just missing shots. I don’t really look at it any more than that. I feel like at some point, the shots are going to turn around and it’s up from there.”
Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat goes to the basket against Luke Kornet #40 of the Boston Celtics during the second quarter at the TD Garden. (Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
Spoelstra on Adebayo’s shooting struggles
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra addressed Adebayo’s shooting slump, calling it “something that can’t be explained,” as the Miami center is not known for missing so many shots.
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“He’s built a career being able to make those shots and make those look easy,” Spoelstra told Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “It’s just one of those stretches that sometimes you can’t explain.”
Tyler Herro doesn’t see Adebayo struggling
Heat shooting guard Tyler Herro doesn’t believe Adebayo is in any real trouble, pointing out that the big man continues to contribute to the team in other areas, particularly on defense. “I don’t think he’s struggling, honestly,” Herro said. “I think he’s playing a great brand of basketball. He’s continuing to impact the game on the defensive end.”
“He’s gotten two triple-doubles in the last three days,” Herro continued. “Missed shots are one thing, but he continues to find ways to impact the game. His scoring, he’ll continue to get his looks and he’s going to make his shots. We know what he’s capable of. So I don’t think he’s struggling.”
