Miami Heat off to sluggish 0-3 start to begin Giannis Antetokounmpo era originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was the best player to change teams in the offseason, going from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Miami Heat in hopes of joining a contender. Instead, it's been more of the same for Antetokounmpo.
The Heat are off to one of the slowest starts in the NBA so far, dropping all three of their games thus far while trailing by double-digit points in each contest. Despite Antetokounmpo showing why he is still among the best players in the league, the rest of the team hasn't quite followed his lead.
On Saturday, Miami's newest player was caught on the bench seemingly staring into the distance as the Heat were down big once again.
Giannis looks like he's contemplating life right now losing to the Hornets 💔 https://t.co/GH1L96VQOF
— Heat Central (@TheHeatCentral) October 24, 2026
The Heat have the entire season to turn things around, as it is still too early for the team to panic. Still, the longer this goes on, the more pressure the team will face in trying to maximize Antetokounmpo's presence.
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Heat off to sluggish start
Three games into their first season with Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Heat have gotten off to a slow start. Miami is now 0-3 on the year with losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets, two of which came via blowouts.
That is despite Antetokounmpo getting off to a blistering start in the first two games, combining for 71 points against Minnesota and Detroit. However, against Charlotte on Saturday, Antetokounmpo scored just 14 points while fouling out of the game.
At the very least, Miami's latest loss included an inspiring comeback that fell short in the end, resulting in a single-digit loss. Still, head coach Erik Spoelstra said the team is not inspired when on the court.
"We need inspiration," Spoelstra said. "It's a powerful thing when you can inspire your teammate to make an extraordinary effort. And we will, we'll get there."
Coach Spo told his team that they need inspiration... We are in game 3... https://t.co/oqJ2LC1Ne8
— The HEAT Realm (@WadexFlash) October 25, 2026
The Heat have many new faces on the team besides Antetokounmpo, including Bobby Portis, Klay Thompson, and Tim Hardaway Jr. Still, other teams in the NBA who shuffled their rosters have gotten off to much quicker starts this season.
After the Heat's second loss of the season on Friday night, Antetokounmpo acknowledged that the team needed some kind of jolt.
"Sometimes you gotta shock the team, and this is what we are going through right now," he said. "We had two games in our building that we were we definitely shocked. I feel like you know you kind of raise the the level of urgency for everybody."
Giannis Antetokounmpo on the Miami Heat 0-2 start: “We know it's here. I don't know if it's getting to know one another more now because it's official games. I don't know if it's jitters. You know a little bit nervous. New season. I don't know what it is. Sometimes you gotta shock the team, and this is what we are going through right now. We had two games in our building that we were we definitely shocked. I feel like you know you kind of raise the the level of urgency for everybody. We have to be better. It starts with myself” (@ZachWeinberger)
— Heat Central (@TheHeatCentral) October 24, 2026
The Heat return home Monday to face the Dallas Mavericks as they search for the first win of the season.
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