In the loss to the Celtics, Adebayo finished the game with 15 points on six for 18 shooting, which included a one-for-four clip from three-point range. After making his first shot, he would miss the next eight attempts before exploding in the fourth quarter, where the game was already heading toward defeat.

Looking at his season so far, besides averaging 15.6 points per game, which would be his lowest since the 2019-20 season, where he had 15.9, his field goal percentage is at 41.9 percent. That mark would be the lowest in his career as he also has the second-lowest true shooting percentage, which “also factors in the value of three-point field goals and free throws” as it contains a pool of 91 stars with at least 200 field goal attempts according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Still, Adebayo would see the light ahead of the tunnel, saying he envisions that it will “turn around.”

“Everybody is not going to have a great game every game. It is what it is,” Adebayo said. “For me, it’s not losing confidence in who I am. It’s not overthinking the game too much because then you’ll start making other mistakes. It’s one of those things where I’m just missing shots. I don’t really look at it any more than that. I feel like at some point, the shots are going to turn around and it’s up from there.”

Heat’s Bam Adebayo on the new focus on offense 

Seen as the cornerstone of the Heat, Adebayo is relied on as one of the main offensive engines for the team, along with Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro. However, he would say that “when you’re trying to do the right thing, you’re going to end up overthinking every once in a while.”

The “right thing” he is referencing is the change in the Heat’s focus of shots being inside the paint and from deep, which puts less value on mid-range shots, which has been one of Adebayo’s strong points on offense. It was even an emphasis during training camp when shots such as dunks, layups, and deep balls were worth more than mid-range shots.

“During training camp, we had a drill where certain areas of the court counted less,” Adebayo said. “So it’s that imprint in your mind. From a fan’s standpoint, it’s like: ‘You’re open.’ But it’s the way the offense and the way we want it to look, that’s what we’re trying to get to.”

Heat’s Tyler Herro doesn’t think Bam Adebayo is “struggling”

While a Heat player like Tyler Herro has thrived from the new shot chart, Adebayo is still getting used to it, and in time, he will get back to where he once was on offense. Speaking of Herro, he would not even say that Adebayo is “struggling” and that he is still finding ways to “impact the game.”

“I don’t think he’s struggling, honestly,” Herro said. “I think he’s playing a great brand of basketball. He’s continuing to impact the game on the defensive end. He’s gotten two triple-doubles in the last three days. Missed shots are one thing, but he continues to find ways to impact the game. His scoring, he’ll continue to get his looks and he’s going to make his shots. We know what he’s capable of. So I don’t think he’s struggling.”

Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. has message for Bam Adebayo

Herro’s point is valid, as Adebayo still provides elite defense, along with his ability to be a playmaker in racking up assists and rebounds. Adebayo would record a triple-double, the eighth of his career, a few games ago in the home win over the Toronto Raptors, as he has been on the cusp of two others recently.

The Heat star in Butler would miss Monday’s game with a knee injury as Jaime Jaquez Jr. filled in his spot and led the team alongside Herro with 19 points. His message to Adebayo was clear which is to not stray away from the path and keep “continuing to speak confidence.”

“Just tell him to keep playing his game,” Jaquez said. “Just continuing to speak confidence his way, words of encouragement, just tell him to keep going. Anything we can do because we’re not going to be who we need to be without Bam. So just continuing to feed that confidence into him, knowing that we got his back no matter what.”

Bam Adebayo’s cold spell with the Heat is something “you can’t explain”

Still, though, Adebayo’s current shooting slump has been unusual, especially with attempts close to the rim, as last season, he shot 57.3 percent inside the paint and 68.1 percent at the rim. Looking at the present, the 27-year-old is shooting 45.4 percent from inside the paint, which led to Spoelstra saying that these cold spells “sometimes you can’t explain.”

“How do you not like a lot of those restricted area shots? He’s built a career being able to make those shots and make those look easy,” Spoelstra said. “It’s just one of those stretches that sometimes you can’t explain.”

While the Heat’s captain in Adebayo will look to crack the code offensively, he will continue to make an impact in every other aspect that will hopefully take Miami out of the mediocrity they have been facing. Spoelstra would point out the fact that Adebayo has been recording some impressive games, even if the shooting numbers are low.

“I think the beauty of his game is he’s still able to make an impact,” Spoelstra said. “We saw that last night [in Sunday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors] with his defensive impact when he was on the floor versus off the floor, getting 20 rebounds, getting three games in a row where he almost had triple-doubles. So he’ll work his way through it and I’ll really get to work on seeing more ways we can help him.”

The schedule does not get any easier for the Heat as they start a three-game home stand Wednesday as the Los Angeles Lakers come into town. After that, the team has a tough back-to-back Saturday and Sunday, where they will be against the Phoenix Suns and the Cleveland Cavaliers.