Giannis Antetokounmpo urged the Miami Heat to remain patient and play more decisively after they fell to 0-4 with a 113-109 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night.
Antetokounmpo recorded his first triple-double since joining Miami, finishing with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. However, Cooper Flagg’s late block on Andrew Wiggins’ three-point attempt helped Dallas preserve its lead and send the Heat to their fifth 0-4 start in franchise history, their first since 2008-09.
Asked what he took from Miami’s first full week of the regular season, Antetokounmpo acknowledged some progress but stressed that the team still has plenty of work to do.
“Defensively, I think our effort is there. Do we have to, you know, watch film and get a lot better? 1,000%,” Antetokounmpo said. “We just got to, as much as bad as it might sound, take a breath, relax, and just play basketball.”
The two-time MVP said Miami’s players were spending too much time trying to accommodate one another instead of trusting their own instincts. He included himself among those who need to be more decisive.
“I feel like everybody’s trying to figure out what the next person wants instead of focusing on themselves or what they have to do,” Antetokounmpo said. “At the end of the day, I feel like when I’m at my best, when any player is at his best, is when he’s decisive.”
Antetokounmpo explained that players should recognize what the defense gives them rather than worrying about getting teammates involved at every opportunity.
“It doesn’t matter what I want. It doesn’t matter what D-Mitch wants. It’s what is in front of you. What is the defender giving you? What is the defense giving you? Just read that and play basketball,” he said.
The Heat star also admitted that he was surprised by the team’s early struggles but pointed to the long season ahead.
“Am I surprised? I think a little bit, a little bit surprised, but there’s 78 more games to go,” Antetokounmpo said. “We just got to keep on getting better. Take each game at a time, and we’re going to figure it out.”
He rejected the idea of panicking after four losses, drawing on his experience of both winning and losing streaks throughout his career.
“You cannot press the panic button and panic because it’s only going to get worse if you start panicking,” Antetokounmpo said. “I don’t like this feeling. And the moment we turn this around, I’m always going to remember this feeling. And I’m going to try not to get back to this feeling.”
Miami will look to end its winless start when it visits Atlanta on Wednesday.
