Through 11 games, Antetokounmpo is averaging 27.7 points and 12.6 rebounds. The Heat are 5-6, with encouraging signs alongside Bam Adebayo and a tougher stretch ahead.
By Marcus Reed | M•I•A MEDIA GROUP
The Miami Heat had a 23-point lead against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night and still needed Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo on the floor to finish the job. Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Adebayo chased down Utah’s Isaiah Collier to block a layup in the final minute. Miami won 115-109, closing a five-game Western road trip at 3-2 and offering a snapshot of its season so far. Its two stars can take over a game, and the Heat are still learning how to put one away.
Through 11 games, Antetokounmpo is averaging 27.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists while shooting 56.7% from the field. That is the kind of production Miami traded for in July, when it acquired the two-time MVP and Bobby Portis from Milwaukee in a deal that sent Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis and draft assets to the Bucks. The early return is clear on an individual level. At 5-6, the team has more work to do.
The Giannis-Bam pairing is starting to take shape
The best glimpse of what the two can do came in a 117-116 overtime win against the Los Angeles Clippers. Adebayo led Miami with 35 points, while Antetokounmpo supplied 27 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and three blocks. In Sacramento, a starting lineup featuring both big men, Davion Mitchell, Klay Thompson and Pelle Larsson outscored the Kings by 12 points in 11 minutes together. Those stretches show how Miami can get production from both stars in the same game, even when the offense runs through them in different ways.
The harder part comes when opponents get back on defense and crowd the lane. Antetokounmpo is at his most dangerous with room to drive. If Adebayo and his defender are already near the basket, that room can disappear. One way for coach Erik Spoelstra to create space is to use Adebayo as a screener or passer farther from the rim while Thompson moves into position for a shot. Through Miami’s first nine games, the Heat scored 113.1 points per 100 possessions with Antetokounmpo and Adebayo on the floor together, slightly above the league average at the time, according to the team’s analysis.
What the record says
The road trip showed why the standings have yet to catch up with Antetokounmpo’s numbers. Miami lost by 21 to the Lakers despite his 30 points and 12 rebounds, then lost by 20 to Golden State despite another double-double. Against a short-handed Utah team, the Heat let a comfortable lead shrink to five in the final minute. Turning those nights into wins will take better defense over four quarters and reliable scoring when opponents send extra help at Antetokounmpo.
Miami opens a five-game homestand Friday against Cleveland, with a stretch that includes several teams that made the playoffs last season. The next measure of the trade will be what happens when those opponents force the ball out of Antetokounmpo’s hands late. If Adebayo can turn those possessions into good looks and Miami’s shooters make defenses pay for collapsing, the Heat will have a way to win even when Giannis can’t get to the rim.