There is a strong case to be made that the Miami Heat’s franchise cornerstone in Bam Adebayo has been robbed several times from the league’s Defensive Player of the Year honors. But after another career year, he is as hungry as ever to earn the overdue recognition.
The Adebayo brand has been reaching new levels over the course of this offseason. He became a 3X NBA All-Star a year ago, along with securing a spot on the All-Defensive first team. That success carried over into playing an impactful bench role during Team USA’s gold medal Olympic run this summer.
He is coming off a year averaging 19.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists on 52% shooting and a career high 36% from 3-point range. The most impressive part of Adebayo’s game and his standout past season is the two-way versatility. There aren’t many guys in this league who can put up the offensive numbers of Adebayo, but still be viewed as a top defender in the association.
He finds a way to keep getting better in every aspect of the game, yet repeatedly falls short of his highest individual goal in earning Defensive Player of the Year honors. Adebayo was a finalist for the award last season, but that’s not enough for a competitor like himself.
Adebayo shared his thoughts on what should go into the DPOY voting
When speaking to Jeremy Tache on Miami Mic’d Up, the star big man was candid when explaining his thoughts on the award.
“It’s (about) getting stops. I’m not in advanced stats. Who can guard their yard 1-5. Whatever coverage your coach puts you in, you can excel. That to me is the DPOY but media has different opinions when they look at steals and blocks.”
He hit it right on the money when describing his elite defensive abilities. Adebayo may not have the eye popping stats that fill the box score on the end of the floor, yet he is still one of the best in the league in this department. The recognition with this has started to pick up steam in the media in recent months.
Over the summer, an NBA fan poll was created that asked followers who they considered the best defender in the league. To no surprise for Heat fans, Adebayo won it by a landslide.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel for him to finally break through and earn his flowers properly. Unfortunately, media voters have repeatedly looked past just how impactful Adebayo is. He makes the Heat run properly on both ends, with a lot of responsibility going through him.
Whether it is switching onto the perimeter and locking up point guards, to shutting down big men and protecting the rim, Adebayo can do it all. He has a motor that is truly special and an integral part to what Miami is trying to accomplish.
With going into his age-27 season, Adebayo is entering the beginning of his prime. As his skillset continues to get more media spotlight, a long overdue Defensive Player of the Year award could be in the works.
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