Miami Heat’s Two Stars Struggle In Blowout Loss Against The Orlando Magic

Bryan Townes | 2 Hours Ago

Oct 23, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) brings the ball up the court against the Orlando Magic during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Although it is only one game out of 82, it is hard to ignore the similar signs from last season when the Miami Heat offense underperforms. 

Jimmy Butler finished with three points, four rebounds, and five assists on 12.5 percent shooting from the field and missed both of his three-point attempts.

Bam Adebayo had nine points, five rebounds, and one assist on 20 percent shooting from the field. He also missed both of his three-point attempts.

The Heat's two stars struggled from the start. Adebayo did not make a shot for the first half except for free throw attempts. He fumbled the ball in the paint several times and had difficulty scoring over the Orlando Magic’s size. What’s more concerning was Adebayo only had three field goal attempts at halftime. He was not assertive enough when needed. 

Butler was worse. The highlight of the night was a fastbreak when Tyler Herro threw an alley-oop to Butler for an exciting dunk. It was his only made shot. He missed several layups. It was concerning following a season where he averaged 7.7 free throw attempts. He only had two attempts in the opener. 

The stars’ performances felt eerily similar to last season when both players had multiple games of going through the motions, where they weren’t fully engaged. The Magic’s two stars, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, were engaged and finished 24 of 40 shooting from the field. 

Bryan Townes is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at btownesjr@gmail.com or on X @bryantownesjr11. Follow our coverage on Facebook.