The last few games have become a major issue for Bam Adebayo, especially on the offensive end. There are real questions about where his offense is headed and why it’s an issue at the same point year after year. In the last six games, Adebayo has averaged just 14.3 points while shooting 43.8% from the field and a shocking 6.7% from three-point range.
Against the Kings, Adebayo finished with nine points and eight rebounds in a 127–111 loss. He followed that with 19 points against the Magic, then 20 against the Raptors, numbers that appear solid until the shot profile is examined.
In a win over the Nets, he managed just eight points despite grabbing 17 rebounds. Losses to the Celtics and Knicks rounded out the stretch, with Adebayo stuck in the mid-teens once again.
Miami has won just one of those six games, one of their last eight overall, and only two of their last ten.
This is not a short-term dip coming out of nowhere. Adebayo’s scoring has slowly drifted downward for several seasons. He peaked at 20.4 points per game in 2022–23. That dropped to 19.3 the following year, then to 18.1, and now sits at 18.3 this season.
Former NBA champion Brian Scalabrine recently put words to what many have been seeing on film.
“I think he can be one of the best players in the NBA, but he’s just an average offensive player. He has the tools to be a great player.”
“When he drives to the basket, certain players will figure out how to use their body to get a layup; he’ll end up taking a fadeaway jumper. It’s his inability to get 4/5 of those ‘I’m just bigger than you, and I’m laying the ball up.’ If everything is a jump hook or fadeaway, you’re never going to be an efficient player.”
That critique cuts to the heart of the issue. Adebayo has the size, strength, and athleticism to punish mismatches. Yet his shot selection shows hesitation. When he meets bigger defenders at the rim, he avoids contact and tries to finesse. When he finds mismatches, he rarely punishes them. These chances add up over the course of a game and over the course of a season. The Heat’s offensive philosophy could also be blamed for this.
For the Heat, this has ripple effects. After a solid start, they have now slipped to eighth in the East with a 15-14 record.
Adebayo is their offensive anchor in the half-court, especially when games slow down. If his looks are inefficient, defenses stay home on shooters and clog driving lanes. Miami’s margin is already thin. When Adebayo is not putting steady pressure on the rim, it shrinks even more.
Scalabrine’s point was not harsh. It was honest. Until Adebayo starts turning size into easy points, his offense may continue to hover around average. For a player with his tools, that feels like the real frustration.
