Miami Heat star big man Bam Adeabyo has gotten off to a slow start in the 2024-25 season shooting the ball, and he recently opened up on his struggles.
“Everybody is not going to have a great game every game. It is what it is,” Adebayo said. “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. 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.”
This season, Adebayo is shooting just 41.9 percent from the field, the first time in his career that he’s been below 50 percent. Over his first seven NBA seasons, Adebayo averaged 15.4 points per game while shooting 54.7 percent from the field and 55.4 percent from inside the arc.
However, in the 2024-25 campaign, Adebayo is averaging just 15.6 points per game – his lowest points per game since his second season in the NBA. Since the 2019-20 season, Adebayo has averaged at least 15.9 points per game in every completed season.
With Adebayo struggling from the field, the Heat are just 9-10 through their first 19 games, losing badly to the Boston Celtics on Monday.
Despite the big man’s field-goal percentage dropping, guard Tyler Herro still thinks he’s impacting the game for Miami.
“I don’t think he’s struggling, honestly,” Herro said when asked about Adebayo’s shooting slump. “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. 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.”
Ultimately, the Heat need Adebayo to start hitting shots at a higher clip if they want their offense to improve. This season, Miami ranks just 20th in the NBA in offensive rating.
While Adebayo’s scoring is down, his usage is still pretty similar to last season. He’s attempting 14.1 shots per game (2.8 shots per game from 3) compared to 14.3 shots per game last season (0.6 shots per game from 3).
The increased 3-point volume could be one of the reasons that Adebayo’s field-goal percentage is dropping, but he’s also shooting a career-low 44.1 percent from inside the 3-point line this season.
Adebayo will get a chance to get back on track on Wednesday when the Heat take on the Los Angeles Lakers.
Los Angeles is 12-9 on the season after losing the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. Wednesday’s contest is scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. EST from Kaseya Center in Miami.
