Does there have to be more from Bam Adebayo for Miami Heat?

Q: Giannis is going to be Giannis but Bam has to be better from the jump ball. A lot of inconsistencies from him on both sides of the ball. – Doug.

A: Which you can’t sugarcoat. Look, the effort, dedication and determination are all laudable. And even on a bad night, albeit with later numbers that weren’t necessarily impactful, Bam Adebayo still closed out Monday night’s loss to the Lakers with 16 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. So from a boxscore perspective, hardly awful. But the reality is this: The Heat opted for a top-heavy roster led by a pair of frontcourt players earning a combined $100 million-plus this season. What that means is that Bam has to be great and Giannis has to be great – together – on almost a nightly basis. Argue all you want about the fit, but that ship sailed when the Giannis deal was made. So now there is only one remaining option: Both be great every night, like Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were for the Lakers against the Heat on Monday night.

Q: Luka Doncic is a real No. 1 option, go-to man. Huge difference. – Danny.

A: No, let’s not do this. Without getting into which player is better, Giannis Antetokounmpo would set up as a respected leading man for most of the NBA. It’s not like he didn’t have 30 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and two blocked shots against Luka Doncic and the Lakers on Monday night. In a victory, he would have been the story of the night. It’s also about the surrounding talent. Which, as stated in the answer above, is why your No. 2 has to be a dynamic No. 2.

Q: I understand that Erik Spoelstra takes the long view towards the playoffs. He uses the first half of the season to evaluate his players and experiment with various rotations as he plans for the postseason. And so this questionable start may just be the players getting used to playing with each other on offense and unlearning old defensive habits, especially Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo. But Spo needs to be wary of falling too far behind before he makes some changes.  – Michael, Boca Raton.

A: Agree, especially with the East expected to be so competitive this season, Three or four losses could be the difference between home court in the first round and the play-in. That’s why the blown opportunity in Charlotte and the blown lead against the Mavericks feel so costly. And it’s why Erik Spoelstra probably will have to push Giannis through this back-to-back set against the Clippers and Warriors perhaps more than intended.