Ex-teammate Admits Struggling to Play With Giannis Antetokounmpo as Bam Adebayo Hits Back at Media Critics

The Miami Heat traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer to chase a championship. Four games in, they’re still looking for their first win, and the criticism has landed on Bam Adebayo. Jeff Teague, who won a title alongside Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee in 2021, thinks people are looking in the wrong place.

“They could be decent, but Giannis got to change the way he play,” Teague said in the Club 520 Podcast, recorded when Miami was 0-3. “Like I told y’all, it wasn’t fun playing with Giannis. And that don’t mean he’s not a great player. Like, he’s a phenomenal player, MVP, one of the best ever do it. But he’s a very tough player to play with.”

The former Milwaukee Bucks joined a Heat team backed by Adebayo, who recorded a career-high 83 points last season. However, he’s averaging just 11.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists so far.

In the Heat’s 113-109 Monday night loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Adebayo only had eight points, eight rebounds and three assists to add.

But that didn’t affect Antetokounmpo’s stat line, though. Antetokounmpo had a triple-double with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, his first with Miami, but the Heat blew a fourth-quarter lead and lost 113-109. It was Miami’s first 0-4 start since 2007-08.

Teague said that he expected Antetokounmpo to adjust to Miami, however, he also argued that very few players can play alongside him.

“You got to have a certain type of guy that can fit that role,” he added to the same podcast. “Jrue Holiday is the only point guard I ever seen that had success with him.”

He also pointed out how Damian Lillard, being a ball-handling point guard, didn't play well with Giannis.

The pairing with Adebayo, though, has been the biggest issue. Miami has been outscored by 31.6 points per 100 possessions when Antetokounmpo and Adebayo share the floor.

After the game, Adebayo was asked whether learning to play next to Antetokounmpo was part of the problem. He wasn’t having it.

“No, you can’t overthink basketball,” he said during a media availability after the Mavs vs. Heat game. “For me, it’s my shot not going in. I’m not going to overthink that. It’s funny how the outside noise wants to make me the scapegoat. But when the tables turn and the energy shifts, just be prepared for that.”

This being his 10th season in the league, Adebayo isn’t new to these sorts of setbacks. The key to overcoming this is not overthinking the buzz, but to keep shooting, grow aggressive, capitalize on the clean looks he’s able to get, and attain a synergy with a player like Antetokounmpo.

So, the legitimacy of Teague’s claim will be tested once the season picks up its pace. But for now, sharing the space with Antetokounmpo and making the best out of it has to be the top priority on Adebayo’s to-do list.