Wizards Deserve More Criticism Than Bam Adebayo For 83-Point Night, Says Jaylen Brown

Bam Adebayo’s historic 83-point performance was unfortunately met with some rather distasteful comments about the feat. Some felt he disrespected Kobe Bryant, and accused him of stat padding to surpass the Mamba’s 81-point in a single game record. His 43 trips to the free throw line didn’t help either. But ask Jaylen Brown and he’d tell you that it is the Washington Wizards who need to be criticized the most.

On the night, the Wizards gave up 150 points to the Miami Heat. Adebayo scored 83, and the defense was all over the place. They kept fouling, they looked disjointed, and quite frankly, clueless.

Brown became the latest person to come to the defense of Adebayo for all the flak he’s been receiving from a section of the NBA community. On his live stream, the Boston Celtics star suggested that there’s no way he sees Adebayo’s achievement as anything negative towards Bryant.

“Records are meant to be broken,” he said. “I don’t see why there has to be any criticism. If anybody deserves criticism it’s the Washington Wizards.”

The Wizards have already given up on the 25-26 season. The fanbase is optimistic about the future, with Trae Young and Anthony Davis added to their roster, but overall, it’s the 26-27 season they’re eyeing. So, it’s not like the franchise really wanted that win against the Heat.

It’s not a good look for any defense to let a player drop 83 on their heads. It’s the NBA, the biggest basketball league in the world, and a defense should not be so amateurish. At the same time, there’s just some nights when a player becomes unstoppable. And last week, Adebayo had that night.

There will be criticism, always. Hero-worshippers of Bryant won’t like the fact that Adebayo overshadowed their icon in this category. But years later, this will be looked back on and celebrated. The Wizards’ defense? Not so much.