Bam Adebayo cites ‘process’ with Heat’s new starting lineup after losing to lowly Pacers

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Bam Adebayo cites ‘process’ with Heat’s new starting lineup after losing to lowly Pacers

Zachary Weinberger, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Sun, Jan 11, 2026 ·

4 min read

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Bam Adebayo cites 'process' with Heat's new starting lineup after losing to lowly Pacers appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

Though the Miami Heat have been the healthiest the team has been in a while, especially with the recent return of star guard Tyler Herro , the enthusiasm would come to a screeching halt with the 123-99 loss to the lowly Indiana Pacers . Despite the rumors around the Heat in what the team might do come February's trade deadline, the team's current look is still going through growing pains.

Making its fifth start for Miami, the team began with a lineup of Davion Mitchell , Tyler Herro , Norman Powell , Andrew Wiggins , and Bam Adebayo . Sitting Kel'el Ware, the team has seen positive results with the lineup, though with Herro's injury, it's been close to a month since it's been seen, and to say there was rust from the unit was an understatement.

Entering the game, Indiana had the league-worst record at 7-31, but the Heat didn't look that way as the Pacers scored 36 in the opening period, whereas Miami had 18, the lowest scoring first quarter this season. For captain Bam Adebayo , it will be a "process" with the starting lineup.

"It's a process," Adebayo said after recording 13 points and nine rebounds on Saturday, via video from Heat Central on X, formerly Twitter. "This is like the third game we've been fully healthy for the whole season, so it's going to take some time. Guys have been in and out of lineups, plug and play, we're trying to figure it out. So hopefully we can stay healthy and get through this bump and get back to winning some games."

Though some stretches where Miami made it close, the team couldn't find a spark to propel itself to beat Indiana, though head coach Erik Spoelstra says it's much more than the starting lineup, and it's a "one-game sample size."

Heat's new starting lineup with Tyler Herro needs time to adjust

While it's hard to see the impressive Ware sit for the Heat , there is an understanding of how the starting lineup that was trotted out on Saturday night could be explosive. The duo of Herro and Powell was one that fans were excited about, but is one that people could be concerned with, though it seems it'll take time, as the former speaks about what went wrong against the Pacers.

"As a starting unit, we have to come out with a better disposition, better focus to get the team off to a good start," Herro said after scoring 21 points, via the team's YouTube page. "It's unacceptable for all of us to be down 20 before the first time out."

It was a struggle for Powell, who finished with six points while shooting two of 12 from the field, but echoed the same sentiments of the starting lineup being a process.

"We've played a certain way for a while," Powell said. "And then another guy comes back in Tyler…Now everybody has to adjust it and figure it out. It's not going be as soon as it happens, as soon as everybody is healthy, we're going be playing and clicking on all cylinders. Now you got to readjust and figure it out."

The starting lineup looks to be better with the Heat at 20-18, as the team next faces the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night before returning home on Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns .

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