Bam Adebayo says critics are making him the scapegoat for the Heat's 0-4 start

Bam Adebayo has heard the criticism of the 0-4 Heat, and he thinks it has landed on him.

"You know, it's funny how the outside noise wants to make me the scapegoat," Adebayo said Monday after Miami's 113-109 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks. "But when the tables turn, just all that energy, when the energy shifts, just be prepared for that."

The numbers explain why people are pointing. Adebayo scored eight points on 3-of-10 shooting against Dallas and went 0 for 5 from 3. Through four games he is averaging 11.8 points and 7.3 rebounds on 40% shooting, and he is 16.7% from deep. Some dip was expected after Miami traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo in the offseason. This is a bigger one.

Adebayo kept coming back to one thing: the jumper. "This year, I'm just taking more 3s," he said when asked whether Antetokounmpo's arrival is affecting him. "I mean that's really it. But like I said, it'll fall, and when it does, we'll see a shift."

He also made the early-season case. "We're 0-4 right now. I'd rather it be right now than this be midway through the season or in April. Because what if we go on a 10-game winning streak? Then how does the noise change?"

His teammates did not let him carry it alone. Antetokounmpo, who had his first triple-double as a member of the Heat in the loss, said the whole roster is still working out "where we fit in and what we gotta do." Davion Mitchell said Adebayo has to be "more aggressive," then pointed at the fit: he and Antetokounmpo play in the same spaces, and Adebayo can't be in them when Antetokounmpo is on the floor. Erik Spoelstra said Adebayo "just needs to see the ball go in."

That fit question is the real debate. ESPN Research found that Monday was the third time this season Antetokounmpo was the only Miami starter with a positive net rating. Miami is off to its worst start since it lost its first five in 2007-08.

What's next: The Heat play at Atlanta on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET and host Indiana on Friday before a five-game West Coast trip that opens Monday against the Lakers. A loss in Atlanta would match that 2007-08 start.