0-5. When your preseason record looks like this, it is only natural to worry about ten different things. In Erik Spoelstra’s mission to get his combinations right, he tried pairing Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware for the first time against the Hawks. However, the result was still negative. The most significant buzz, however, centered on Bam Adebayo, and rightfully so. With Butler gone, the leadership mantle has fallen on his shoulders or perhaps, given recent injuries, his knees.

Bam Adebayo was seen hobbling in the third quarter after banging his knees. He headed straight to the locker room, sparking concern among fans about the Miami Heat’s immediate future. Tim Reynolds, an AP NBA reporter, shared on X, “Bam Adebayo (knee contusion) not returning to the game was precautionary, and the Heat are returning home with every expectation that he’s fine.”

Update: Spoelstra’s exact words. “He just landed awkwardly, but he says he feels fine. We’ll see when we get back to Miami. But as you saw, he was able to be out there the whole rest of the way (on the bench). I just wanted to make sure it didn’t go, any worse, so I just kind of sat him from there.”

Bam Adebayo ended the game with 13 points on 4 of 11 shooting, added 5 of 7 from the free-throw line, along with nine rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes. The Heat star’s status will be closely monitored ahead of Friday’s preseason finale against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Coach Spoelstra had given Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware shorter and split-up playing time because Nikola Jovic was out due to an injury. Norman Powell, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and tryout candidate Ethan Thompson each scored 17 points, but the team made only 5 out of 34 three-point shots. 

“It was just really unfortunate, really unfortunate that we didn’t walk out of here with a win,” Spoelstra said after the game.

Bam Adebayo hasn’t quite looked himself yet, and it’s easy to see why. With Tyler Herro set to miss at least the first month of the new season, he is being asked to shoulder more of the offensive load than usual. He’s still adjusting to new lineups, figuring out how to mesh with Norman Powell, and learning a slightly different style of offense. All of that, combined, seems to have left Adebayo a bit off-balance in these early games. 

The Atlanta side, without most of their regular starters (Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, and Zacharie Risacher), managed to secure many more offensive rebounds than the Heat would have typically liked, even though the latter was playing with a bigger lineup.

Erik Spoelstra and Co.’s spacing looked messy, which isn’t surprising since this was the first time the big players were on the court together with Davion Mitchell, Norman Powell, and Andrew Wiggins.

It’s hard to take any big lessons from such a short experiment. Last season, however, it’s worth noting that lineups featuring Kel’el Ware and Bam Adebayo were effective on defense but often struggled to score.

The Miami Heat still have plenty to figure out and very little time to do so

Last season was a rollercoaster for the Miami Heat. They finished 37-45 with the 8th seed, but still managed to sneak into the playoffs through the play-in tournament. Clutch games were a struggle, and if they had won just half of those tight contests, they would’ve been fighting for a top-four seed in the East. It wasn’t all bad, though this team showed that when it matters, they can rise to the occasion.

This offseason brought some interesting lineup experiments. The Heat have three starters locked in for the regular season: Bam Adebayo (health permitting), Norman Powell, and Andrew Wiggins.

Up front, it looks like Nikola Jovic has the edge over Kel’el Ware to start alongside Bam Adebayo. Jovic is averaging 7.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and four assists per game in the preseason. In contrast, Ware only got a chance to play alongside Adebayo in the fifth game.

The backcourt situation is also a bit of a puzzle with Tyler Herro sidelined. It’s a toss-up between Davion Mitchell and Kyle Smith. Smith started over Mitchell in the first game they were both available, making him the favorite to open the season as Powell’s backcourt partner. But Mitchell looked strong off the bench with 10 points on 5 of 8 shooting, four rebounds, and a steal in 22 minutes, showing he could still earn minutes as he works back from a calf issue.

“I think we’re trying to figure it out, trying to get the things together in how we want to play and the identity of the team offensively, defensively,” Norman Powell had said of the enormous task that Erik Spoelstra needs to sort out quickly.

So, what should we keep an eye on for the Heat? First, how Norman Powell plays with Davion Mitchell or Kyle Smith on the court. Then, we might see Kel’el Ware getting more minutes. And there’s Simone Fontecchio, whom the team brought in exchange for Duncan Robinson. He could be helpful because he’s tall and a skilled shooter. He played 14 minutes off the bench today.

The Heat has pulled out most of its regular rotation players for preseason finales in recent times. However, this horrendous start to the preseason marks the first time they’ve lost all practice games since 2007, suggesting a slight change in philosophy by Erik Spoelstra.