Heat clearly need more from Andrew Wiggins, supporting cast

The Heat added Giannis Antetokounmpo and immediately inherited questions about how he would fit alongside Bam Adebayo.

Nine games in, Miami might want to spend more time worrying about the guys around them.

That’s the case laid out by Eric Nehm of The Athletic, who points to the Heat’s wing production as a major reason for their 3-6 start. Antetokounmpo has delivered. Adebayo is getting comfortable. The supporting cast has some catching up to do.

Start with Andrew Wiggins. Miami’s third-highest-paid player is averaging 8.6 points, shooting 40.8% from the field and 29.7% from three. The Heat need him to defend difficult assignments and capitalize on the attention Antetokounmpo draws. Neither job has been getting done consistently enough.

Erik Spoelstra’s message on the defensive end was fairly direct.

“Make everybody notice you. Put your fingerprints on the game. Every single possession,” Spoelstra told reporters, via Nehm. “I don’t need to look at a statistic.”

Tim Hardaway Jr. hasn’t provided the expected shooting lift, either. He shot 28.1% from three through seven games, then played just 10 combined minutes against the Clippers and Warriors. Spoelstra cited matchups, with rookie Ryan Conwell getting opportunities instead.

Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo is averaging 27.3 points, 12.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists. Miami is getting superstar production. It needs more help turning that into wins.

“We’re gonna figure it out,” Adebayo said. “I don’t want to say it’s early anymore, but it takes time.”

Granted, nobody needs to declare the experiment a failure after nine games. But adding Giannis was supposed to make everyone else’s job easier. The Heat still need those jobs done.