Giannis Says Heat 'Have to Take a Deep Breath,' Backs Team Amid 0-4 Start to 2026 NBA Season

Miami Heat star Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn't want his team to overreact after opening the 2026-27 NBA season with four straight losses.

"We all have to take a deep breath, and eventually, we're gonna figure it out," he said after Monday's 113-109 defeat to the Dallas Mavericks, per The Athletic's Eric Nehm. "You cannot press the panic button and panic because it's only gonna get worse if you start panicking, man.

"I've been in this position before. I've lost five in a row. I've lost seven in a row. I've won 10 in a row. I've won 18 in a row. You just gotta keep on playing basketball — you're gonna figure it out."

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Antetokounmpo is right that it's way too early to begin panicking, but the last week has served as a reality check for the new-look Heat.

From the moment the Giannis trade happened, everyone pointed out how much depth Miami sacrificed in order to land the two-time MVP. The fit between Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo was potentially a bit clunky, too, when neither one is a great floor-spacer.

Right now, Klay Thompson doesn't look like a starting-caliber option for a team with championship aspirations, and Miami is bringing Dru Smith off the bench as the backup to point guard Davion Mitchell. Nine players altogether saw the floor Monday night.

Far more concerning, Adebayo is averaging just 11 points on 40 percent shooting. He went 3-of-10 from the floor and had eight points against the Mavericks.

Under different circumstances, Miami could afford to look at this as a table-setting year. Coach Erik Spoelstra and the front office would see how the pieces work around Antetokounmpo and Adebayo and then adjust accordingly in the offseason.

Patience may not be a luxury the Heat can enjoy when Giannis is 31 and eligible for free agency in the summer. If the struggles continue into December or January, what's the urgency level going to look like?

Acquiring Antetokounmpo was an opportunity Miami couldn't afford to pass up. The franchise had hit its ceiling with the existing core and needed to shake things up if winning a title is the overriding goal.

But the trade could've been a catch-22 in that it doomed the Heat in a different way.