Dwyane Wade Sends Strong Message to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo

The Miami Heat are 0-3 to start the season, and although it's way too early to panic, there are some legitimate concerns about how this team has looked, especially when Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo share the floor.

The two stars were supposed to give Miami one of the most intimidating frontcourts in basketball, and I still believe they can. Through three games, the fit has been awkward offensively, and the defense hasn't been nearly as dominant as most expected. Bam and Giannis are a -40 when they are on the court together, that has to change. 

Heat legend Dwyane Wade recently offered some advice that I thought was particularly interesting, especially considering what he experienced when LeBron James joined him in Miami.

According to Wade, the solution might start with a conversation that has nothing to do with basketball strategy.

Wade Wants Giannis to Take Ownership of the Team

During a recent podcast appearance, Wade explained that Antetokounmpo and Adebayo need to establish an understanding of their roles, particularly when it comes to who will lead this team.

"What I look at is really defining who's team it is and role of that," Wade said. "You want Giannis coming down right away and feeling comfortable and confident that he can be Giannis 100%."

Wade went a step further, explaining exactly what he'd like to hear from Antetokounmpo.

"I want to see Giannis come down and say 'hey bam, I got this. This is my show, imma make sure we all eat tho.'"

I actually agree with Wade here, and I don't think this should be a controversial conversation.

Adebayo has earned his standing within the organization. He's been the face of the franchise for years, he's helped Miami reach the NBA Finals twice, and he's developed into one of the most respected two-way players in basketball.

The reality is that Miami went out and acquired Antetokounmpo because he's one of the best players in the world, and when you bring in that caliber of superstar, you have to give him the freedom to be himself.

That doesn't mean Adebayo needs to stop being aggressive offensively or suddenly become a traditional role player. It means recognizing that the best version of this Heat team probably involves Antetokounmpo being the primary offensive force while Adebayo impacts the game in several different ways.

And quite frankly, Adebayo has the versatility to make that adjustment without sacrificing what makes him such a valuable player.

Wade Went Through This Exact Situation With LeBron James

What makes Wade's comments so fascinating is that he isn't speaking hypothetically. He knows what it's like to be the established franchise player and suddenly have another superstar arrive who might be better suited to leading the team.

When James joined the Heat in 2010, Wade already had a championship, a Finals MVP and years of success as Miami's unquestioned leader.

That was his franchise, and nobody could have reasonably questioned what he'd accomplished.

But after Miami lost to Dallas in the 2011 NBA Finals, Wade eventually realized that giving James more control was the best thing for the team.

"Coach Spo can have all the experience he wants, if Giannis and Bam don't have this conversation, Bron and I had the conversation. It took us a year to have it," Wade explained.

He also made a point that I think Adebayo should really embrace.

"You're the guy. Doesn't take anything away from me, I'm still that dude."

That's the part of this discussion that matters most to me because Wade didn't become any less of a player when James took over as Miami's primary option. He was still an All-Star, still capable of taking over games and still one of the biggest reasons the Heat won consecutive championships.

He just understood that winning required a different version of himself.

Now, I'm not saying Adebayo is Wade or that Antetokounmpo is James. They're different players with different skill sets, but the situation has some obvious similarities, and Wade's experience makes his advice worth listening to.

The Giannis-Bam Fit Is Still a Work in Progress

Offensively, both players like to attack the paint, work around the elbows and create opportunities near the basket. Neither is someone defenses are particularly worried about leaving open beyond the three-point line, which naturally makes spacing more complicated.

When Antetokounmpo drives, Adebayo's defender can help clog the lane, and when Adebayo gets the ball in his preferred spots, Antetokounmpo isn't necessarily providing the kind of spacing that a traditional stretch big would.

These are real basketball problems, and they're not going to disappear simply because the players have a conversation.

I still believe there's a lot more Miami can do to make this partnership work, whether that's using Adebayo as a screener, allowing Antetokounmpo to initiate more offense or experimenting with inverted pick-and-roll actions that take advantage of both players' versatility.

We've also seen Miami miss plenty of quality looks through three games, while opponents have been shooting extremely well against the Heat. Some of that should eventually even out, which is another reason I'm not ready to overreact to such a small sample size.

Miami Needs to Figure This Out Sooner Than Wade and LeBron Did

The good news for the Heat is that we're only three games into the season, and nobody should have expected a completely new roster built around Antetokounmpo to look perfect immediately.

Even Miami's Big Three needed time to figure things out, and that team had three future Hall of Famers playing together.

The difference is that this Heat team doesn't necessarily have the luxury of waiting an entire season before establishing its identity.

Antetokounmpo is here to compete for championships now, and with Erik Spoelstra coaching a roster that has plenty of veteran experience, Miami should be thinking bigger than simply making the playoffs.

I still believe the Antetokounmpo-Adebayo pairing can become one of the most difficult frontcourts in basketball to deal with, particularly defensively, but there's clearly work to be done before they get anywhere close to that level.