With the Miami Heat coming off a blowout loss to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night, there have been many facets of the team recently that have been disappointing, such as star Bam Adebayo. As Adebayo goes through recent struggles with the Heat, there has been one teammate to help him throughout this stretch in Norman Powell.
While there’s no doubt that the whole team is looking to get back Adebayo going back to a flow state in excelling on each side of the ball, the offense has been down, coming off a game where he scored nine points on four of 11 shooting from the field. In the last four games, Adebayo has averaged 11.8 points in the last four games, shooting 37.5 percent from the field, as Powell revealed that he is in the big man’s ear.
“I’ve been in his ear,” Powell said after the loss to Toronto, where he scored 17 points. “I’ve been very vocal with talking to him and trying to find his spots, pick his spots, get him in that little 17 to 15 foot range, where he can get to his middie, or get to his isos off the [dribble handoffs] and the mid pick-and-rolls. Having him play in that pocket. Hopefully, the more and the more we do that, the more he’ll be able to make those reads and get back to his game. But I definitely think we need that for him, just to get some touches, and feel his way into the offense.”
Norman Powell would speak about Bam Adebayo’s struggles, says he can see more pick and rolls added to get him back into rhythm.
“I’ve been in his ear, I’ve been very vocal with talking to him and him trying to find his spot, pick his spots…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/Dz4mmumC0U
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) December 24, 2025
At any rate, Adebayo continues to adjust and adapt to Miami’s new offensive philosophy that cuts down on pick-and-rolls and emphasizes a free-flowing, fast-paced system. With the Heat at 15-15, having lost eight of its last nine games, the team looks to get back in the win column on Friday against the Atlanta Hawks.