Heat Start 0-4 as Antetokounmpo, Adebayo Fight for Same Spots

Miami Heat fans who expected a fast start after the summer trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo have instead watched the team open the 2026-27 season at 0-4, including Monday's 113-109 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The Heat's roster now pairs Antetokounmpo with Bam Adebayo, and early returns show the two big men competing for the same territory on the court rather than splitting it.

Adebayo's production has dropped to the lowest marks of his career as a full-time starter. He is averaging 11.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, shooting 40.0 percent from the field, 16.7 percent from three-point range and 61.5 percent from the free-throw line. Each of those shooting figures would be career lows if they hold across a full season, though four games offer a small sample.

Davion Mitchell, Miami's starting point guard, addressed Adebayo's numbers after the Dallas loss and identified where the arrangement breaks down. "I think I got to do a better job of not letting [Adebayo] get lost in the game," Mitchell said, via ESPN. "He got to be more aggressive. I think that he will. He's still 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's on the floor. He can't be in those spaces, and but it's something to get used to." Mitchell added that Adebayo is working through the adjustment.

The spacing problem shows up in Adebayo's shot profile. He is attempting 6.8 two-pointers per game, the lowest rate since he became a starter in his third NBA season. He is also missing from three-point range, which removes the floor spacing he would otherwise provide next to a paint-oriented player like Antetokounmpo.

Antetokounmpo's history with the Milwaukee Bucks offers context for how the division of labor might resolve. His partnership with Damian Lillard did not include a heavy pick-and-roll diet that could have amplified Lillard's strengths, and he did not reshape his approach to make that two-person game work. That pattern suggests he is unlikely to vacate areas of the floor he favors to accommodate Adebayo's needs.

Adebayo has publicly addressed the scrutiny surrounding his early-season numbers. He said outside critics are casting him as "the scapegoat" for Miami's start. The Heat's roster carries limited offensive options beyond its two stars, so a drop in Adebayo's output concentrates attention on his role in the pairing.

A play from the October 24 game against Dallas captured the friction in a single possession: Adebayo established post position while Antetokounmpo moved into the paint, leaving Adebayo without room to operate. Four games into the season, the Heat have yet to find a resolution that produces comfortable looks for both players.