The Miami Heat offered an early look Tuesday at how Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo can create offense together, sharing practice footage of their new frontcourt partners connecting on two possessions.
The video posted by the Heat shows Antetokounmpo finding Adebayo ahead of the defense in one sequence and delivering the ball to him for a drive in another. For a team working out how to use both big men, the second play offers a particularly useful detail: Adebayo gets to attack after someone else has started the possession.
Giannis ➡️ Bam 😈 pic.twitter.com/YoO86QtmLO
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) September 29, 2026
In the opening sequence, Antetokounmpo brings the ball forward and sends a pass ahead to Adebayo, who turns toward the basket and scores. In the second, Adebayo receives the ball outside the paint, drives past the first defender and finishes near the rim as help arrives.
Klay Thompson also participates in the action before that second pass. Brady Hawk highlighted the combination of Antetokounmpo initiating, Thompson moving into screening action before slipping away and Adebayo attacking on the next phase of the possession.
That sequence offers one possible route to involving all three without asking Adebayo to spend the entire possession waiting for a perimeter shot. Antetokounmpo starts with the ball, but Adebayo still has room to make a scoring decision when it reaches him.
Erik Spoelstra sees more than a spacing assignment for Bam
The footage arrives alongside a more detailed explanation of Adebayo’s potential role from Erik Spoelstra.
In an interview, Spoelstra described an offense that can draw on both players’ passing and movement rather than defining Adebayo’s job primarily through his outside shooting.
“Guys can play to their strengths. It’s not just about three-point spacing with Giannis,” Spoelstra said. “It’s about playmaking, it’s about cutting, it’s about Giannis sometimes playing off the ball and Bam making the play. I think the possibilities with having that kind of versatility are really exciting because it’s extremely unique. It’s tough to find.
“Both these guys are unicorns in terms of their versatility. So it’s tough for the outside eye to really understand what that means and what that can unlock for your roster.”
Tuesday’s team-posted video shows Antetokounmpo supplying Adebayo. Spoelstra’s explanation also leaves room for the reverse, with Adebayo creating and his new teammate moving without the ball.
Those are different responsibilities, and the Heat do not have to assign each player the same one on every trip. Adebayo averaged 20.1 points and 3.2 assists per game during the 2025-26 regular season.
That production gives Miami an established scorer and another passing option to incorporate alongside Antetokounmpo, rather than a player whose only offensive contribution must be stretching the floor.
The practical question is where Adebayo receives the ball and how quickly he can act. In the second possession, he has enough space to turn the catch into a drive.
Reproducing that opportunity against opponents prepared for Miami’s actions will be more revealing than simply seeing the two stars on the court together.
A first look at the partnership, with more to prove
This group had already spent time together during its players-only gathering earlier in September. Tuesday’s footage provides a basketball example of the connection Miami is trying to build.
It is still a short, edited practice clip. It cannot establish how consistently these actions will work or what happens when a defense keeps more help in the lane. Nor does one successful sequence settle Miami’s lineup choices.
What it does show is a way for Adebayo to remain an active scorer with Antetokounmpo directing the possession. As camp continues, the next question is whether the Heat can create those opportunities repeatedly—and add the possessions Spoelstra envisions with their roles reversed.
