Bam Adebayo has been one of the best defenders in the NBA, whether it is 1 v 1 or through advanced stats. It is time he wins the DPOY.
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There are many candidates for Defensive Player of the Year, however, none are as versatile as Bam Adebayo. The center/ power-forward has been instrumental for the Miami Heat this season.
The Miami Heat have clinched the first seed in the Eastern Conference and a lot of the credit should be rightfully given to Bam Adebayo.
With Bam Adebayo on the floor, the Miami Heat would have the
– No. 1 Defense (104.2)
– No. 1 Def Rebounding % (76.3)
– No. 2 Def Shot Quality (50.7)@Bam1of1 should be #DPOY no discussion pic.twitter.com/escpR6cz1N— HEATMUSE (@HEATmuse) April 1, 2022
The center has been one of the best defenders in the game this season. All the numbers point to him picking up the DPOY and Bam himself thinks he deserves it.
Bam Adebayo makes his voice heard in the DPOY shout
In a sit down with JJ Redick on his podcast The Old Man and The Three, Bam talks is asked if he deserves to win the DPOY. A straightforward “yes” is all you can hear from the Miami Heat big man.
When asked why? He says “I can guard through any position, I legit guard 1 through 5. ” He says that in any defensive player, he is versatile enough to guard anyone.
We can’t argue with that. His numbers show that he does indeed play the versatility role extremely well. He feels prideful in defense and says that antics don’t faze him.
He also credits his teammates for his supernatural defense this season. The Heat has defensive juggernauts in the form of Kyle Lowry, PJ Tucker, Duncan Robinson, and Jimmy Butler.
Their fulcrum of defensive setups allows Bam to pursue more risky actions like getting steals and stops.
The Heat have home-court advantage and whether Bam will win the DPOY or not is still an unanswered question. Despite all of that it will still be quite fun to see how the defensive tandem of the Miami Heat does in the playoffs.