Bam Adebayo declares what Heat has to do to stop being ‘mediocre’ after Celtics loss

MIAMI – While there were encouraging signs from the Miami Heat after the win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday to start the three-game home stand, the momentum turned sour quickly with a crushing loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday, 119-114. The Heat’s downsides were on full display on Thursday night, as the team reached the halfway point of the season.

This has given them a reality check, as captain Bam Adebayo laid out where they stand.

After the loss to Boston, Miami is now 21-20, putting them eighth in the Eastern Conference, a familiar spot as the team has finished there for the past three seasons. Some may argue that the franchise has done little to show they’ve improved, despite the hot start to the season and showing flashes of a great team, especially with the effort to change the offensive identity to a free-flowing, fast-paced style.

However, the Heat has regressed to the median, as Adebayo said to ClutchPoints that, besides Miami being better than what the record shows, if the team is unable to follow a certain principle, they will stick to being “mediocre.”

“We are better than what our record says, but until we, all of us, commit to doing role player things, we’ll keep being in the middle of the pack, mediocre,” Adebayo said after recording 22 points, four rebounds, and five assists. “Until guys get sick of that middle ground of being seventh, eighth, and not want to really make a push to be fourth or third in the East. We’re going to stay right there.”

Asked Bam Adebayo about being 21-20:

“We're better than what our record says, but until we all commit to doing role players things we'll keep being middle of the pack and mediocre. Until guys get sick of being 7th and 8th…we're gonna stay right here…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/chN3VtLUNs

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) January 16, 2026

The question now lies: is the roster close to the level they think it is, or is there a lot of work to be done? For Tyler Herro, who scored 22 points, they’re “right there.”

Tyler Herro speaks after the game about the Heat being 21-20 at the halfway point of the season.

Said to me that Miami is close to where they want to be, broke down what’s needed from them. #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/3xvpmoGOX4

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) January 16, 2026

Erik Spoelstra on playing like the record says the Heat are 

As the Heat trade rumors will heighten after what has been a middling season so far, there appears to be an understanding within the team that Miami is close to reaching the level they believe they are at. Head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke after the game about how the rebounding and second-chance points stifled the Heat, which is true, as they were beaten on the glass, 51-40, letting go of 31 second-chance points.

When talking about the flaws of the night, Spoelstra would emphasize how their problems come down to “competitive toughness.”

“Basically, that’s it. We feel like we’re better than where we are, but we are what our record is right now. That’s the bottom line. If you played games on paper, I think right now we would have a better record. But, you know, that’s not the case right now,” Spoelstra said.

Erik Spoelstra said it isn’t an excuse for them on how effective Boston crashed the glass, expressed that was a big negative for Miami.

“We feel like we’re better than where we are, but we are what our record is right now…” #HeatNation

Full answer: pic.twitter.com/T5ty9nRt3V

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) January 16, 2026

Thursday night was especially frustrating as Miami had once again started great with 36 points in the opening period, but the second half was their downfall. Though it would be the third quarter that hurt them, it was the final frame this time, losing the double-digit lead they had, being outscored 36-21 in the period.

Norman Powell says the Heat are “in the margins”

With the Heat looking to turn around its inconsistent season, there is no denying that there are pieces on the team that could make some noise and find the coherence that they’re looking for. One standout has been Norman Powell, who led Miami once again with 26 points on 10 of 15 shooting from the field, who told ClutchPoints that they’re not far off from being what they know they can, “it’s in the margins.”

“Honestly, it’s not like we have to reinvent the wheel,” Powell said. “But it’s, are we going to do it or not?… It’s on us to win the game within the margins. We do that, we’re fine. If you look on paper, look at our averages and things like that, we’re right there with teams, but especially when we’re playing teams that know how to win, have that winning DNA, been in finals, big games. You know, they know how to win, they know how to gut wins out, even when it’s not pretty.”

“And that’s what we’re trying to get to, that’s where our hurdle is, our Achilles heel is, are we going to fold when adversity hits us individually, collectively?” Powell continued. “Are we going to bear down, knuckle down and toughen up mentally and push through and do what it takes, and find ways to impact the game and find ways to impact winning?… It’s just literally on us to have the mental fortitude and the competitive will to want to win and what we want to make out of this season.”

Asked Norman Powell if the Heat are close to being the team they think they are or is there more work to be done.

“Honestly it’s not like we have to reinvent the wheel…it’s on us to play within the margins, we do that, we’re fine…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/EKi5Q4JTD0

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) January 16, 2026

As Powell mentioned, some statistics show the Heat to be a fearful team, like being No. 5 in the NBA in averaging 119.4 points per game, they lead the league in pace with 104.77 possessions per 48 minutes, and they’re seventh in defensive rating. At any rate, Miami looks to start anew in the second half of the season with practice on Friday morning, though that’s easier said than done as the team takes on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night.

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