The Miami Heat entered the 2026-27 NBA season with plenty of expectations after acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo and Klay Thompson. However, things haven’t gone according to plan. The Heat have now suffered four consecutive losses.

Amid their struggles, former 7-time NBA All-Star Joe Johnson has called out Bam Adebayo for his lack of aggression on the court.

Joe Johnson Is Not Happy With Bam Adebayo’s Performance

During a recent episode of the “Nightcap” podcast, Johnson shared his thoughts on Adebayo’s performances and explained what the Heat star needs to change.

According to the former NBA player, Adebayo already has the complete skill set and natural talent needed to dominate games. However, he believes the big man must become more aggressive and consistently put pressure on opposing defenses.

With the Greek Freak now leading Miami’s offense, Johnson feels Adebayo cannot simply rely on his new teammate to do everything.

“He can’t leave Giannis out there. He needs another guy who’s going to be aggressive and put pressure on the defense. He has all the tools, bro! He’s 6′ 9″-6′ 10″. The man scored 83. He has to get something respectable and develop some type of consistency for this Heat team to be competitive,” Johnson said during the podcast.

Johnson further explained that Adebayo’s biggest problem is his lack of assertiveness. In his view, the Heat star often becomes too passive and spends too much time watching the action instead of getting involved.

“Yeah, he assert himself when he coming to the game, man. He go out there and be aggressive. I think Bam has to assert himself more. I think he just sits around kind of watching a little bit too damn much for me,” Johnson added.

Monday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks showed exactly what Johnson was talking about. Adebayo scored only 8 points on 3-of-10 shooting, and he missed all 5 of his 3-point attempts. He did add 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo did his part. He led the Heat with 29 points on 12-of-23 shooting and added 11 assists in 39 minutes. That gave Antetokounmpo a triple-double, but it still was not enough.

On Monday, Miami actually started on a positive note. Miami led 27-23 after the opening quarter but trailed 53-52 at halftime. The Heat regained a one-point lead after scoring 32 points in the third, before Dallas outscored them 30-25 in the fourth.

The Mavericks then scored a combined 60 points over the final two quarters, and the Heat simply couldn’t keep up and lost the game (113-109).

Miami will next face the Atlanta Hawks on October 28. It remains to be seen whether Adebayo can rediscover his form and deliver the aggressive performance Johnson believes he is capable of.