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The Miami Heat’s early-season struggles proved that contenders aren’t built overnight. After a season-long saga with the Milwaukee Bucks, Pat Riley and the Heat front office finally executed their blockbuster trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and many thought the organization was turning the corner after straddling the line between contender status and an annual play-in participant over the past few years.
The Heat have been the destination of some of the best players in NBA history: from the Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal tandem that later led the organization to its first championship in 2006, to the Big Three of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh that defined an era of basketball in the early 2010s. Giannis seemed poised to ultimately lead the Heat back to the glory of an NBA championship.
And that indeed might happen. While the Miami Heat are 0-3, the team can improve through trades and free-agent signings. What we see in late October isn’t the team we will see, barring injury, in March or April. But it is time to hit the panic button, as a three-game sample size of this new Miami Heat team built around Giannis looks awfully familiar to the team that Antetokounmpo left this summer.
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Antetokounmpo is a perfect building block for success, and he’s a superstar talent who can attract other talented players to the team for years to come. But they have to get there, and right now, this team is way too dependent on Giannis Antetokounmpo. While Saturday’s loss to the Hornets told a different story, with Antetokounmpo only having 14 points on 4-for-11 shooting and Bam Adebayo playing 39 minutes and scoring 20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and hitting 2 three-pointers, alongside Davion Mitchell scoring 22 points, hitting 3 three-pointers, and dishing 10 assists, tonight’s performance is an outlier compared to the previous 2 games against the Timberwolves and the Pistons.
Against the Timberwolves, Giannis exploded for 35 points in 30 minutes, while the next-highest scorer, Bam Adebayo, added 15. In their matchup against the Pistons, Giannis scored 36 points, while Bam Adebayo scored 4. Davyon Mitchell and Bobby Porter tried to help Giannis on Friday, scoring 18 and 11 points, respectively, but it wasn’t enough to stop the brutal scoring onslaught the Pistons ultimately displayed.
Simply put, this team needs consistency. An all-star guard or forward who can ease the scoring burden on Antetokounmpo isn’t walking through that door anytime soon. Erik Spoelstra must figure out how to build an offensive scheme around Giannis while maximizing the rest of the roster. While it seems easy, the Heat’s 0-3 start proves it’s harder than it looks.
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