Giannis And Adebayo Must Learn To Share The Floor

By the Heat Nightly Desk · Sunday, September 20

Bam Adebayo shot 31.8 percent from three last season and Giannis Antetokounmpo shot 33.3 percent, and Miami is building around both bigs at once. Each is currently sidelined heading into camp with the same return target of October 1, leaving preseason as the only real test of whether the pairing spaces the floor.

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Two Big Men

Bam Adebayo averaged 20.1 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists last season while shooting 31.8 percent from three. Giannis Antetokounmpo, in his 36 games, put up 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists on 33.3 percent from deep. Both operate as bigs who score inside and rarely stretch defenses out. Put them on the floor together and Miami is asking two non-shooters to share the same real estate.

The Passing Case

Neither man needs to shoot to matter. Adebayo's 3.2 assists and Giannis's 5.4 both come from a frontcourt reading the floor, not standing in a corner. Wiggins shot 41.4 percent from three last season, Hardaway 40.7, Portis 45.6 — if those three space the wings, two non-shooting bigs can still work behind good passing.

The Numbers Against It

Last season's team still ranked 13th in defensive rating at 113.6 and 13th in net rating at 2.1, even with most of this frontcourt already in place. Size alone did not fix the middle of the pack. And Charlotte holds rights to Miami's 2027 and 2028 first-round picks, leaving little draft capital to retool if the frontcourt experiment stalls.

Four Games To Learn It

Camp is not the test — preseason is. Miami opens October 3 at Toronto, then hosts New Orleans on October 8, Minnesota on October 10 and Brooklyn on October 14, four games before the October 21 opener against the Timberwolves. Both bigs are targeting an October 1 return, which lines up with nearly the entire preseason slate to sort out whether this works before it counts.

The Bottom Line

Miami has already made the bet: the two largest contracts on the team belong to bigs who combined shot under 34 percent from three last season, and Charlotte owns the picks that would fund a plan B. Camp arguments will not settle whether Adebayo and Giannis fit — four preseason games will. The spacing question gets answered in games, not in film sessions.

Can Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo share the frontcourt on offense?

Both shot under 34 percent from three last season — Adebayo at 31.8, Giannis at 33.3 — so Miami is leaning on their passing and size instead of shooting to make it work.

When do the Heat first test the Adebayo-Giannis frontcourt this preseason?

Preseason opens October 3 at Toronto, with three more games before the October 21 opener against Minnesota.