With the Miami Heat recovering from a relatively frustrating season, the announcement of certain awards could put a cap on how disappointing this past year has been. Heat captain Bam Adebayo known for his defensive presence, was not even included in any of the NBA All-Defensive teams, the first time this decade that he’s absent.
From 2020 to 2023, Adebayo had been on the second team, where in 2024, for the first time, he made the NBA All-Defensive first team as he was also a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY). According to the voters, Adebayo took a step back as he only had one first-place vote and 16 second-place votes as it also snapping a five-year streak of being involved in one of the teams.
Adebayo would say last month to Brandon “Scoops B” Robinson that he would pick himself as the DPOY and even say it’s “politics” at play for voting, though he admitted Miami being 10th in the East doesn’t help the cause.
“I’m gonna say myself,” Adebayo said, “but, like I said, it’s hard to say me when we’re in the 10th spot.”
“Uhh… Politics, you know? You can’t really help it,” Adebayo continued. “Some dudes have power over the media, and some dudes don’t. But in my case, we can’t really voice for it if we’re in the 10th spot,” Adebayo said. “Now, if we’re in the third spot or fourth spot? You could say something. I’ve tried to – I ain’t gonna say beg – but try to showcase and put yourself out there, and to me, it’s just too much. If I have to go through media outlets and do all this to get somebody to give me Defensive Player of the Year, I’m cool.”
Heat’s Bam Adebayo on young star who could be DPOY in the future
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As the Heat star in Adebayo has talked about DPOY snubs in the past, there’s no doubt he was still exceptional in many advanced statistics defensively this season. He is the anchor for Miami’s defense that ranked ninth in the NBA, plus was second in defending isolations, and has the versatility to defend any position on the floor.
Besides himself, he said to ClutchPoints during exit interviews that he expects to see more acknowledgement for Kel’el Ware, who can be “in contention for DPOY.”
“You know he’s willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the team. I think he can be a great player in this league,” Adebayo said. “He’s one we will be constantly be talking about every year, he could be in contention for DPOY. Judging because y’all seen it, at some point he’ll think a guy gotta lay up, and then it’s four rows in the stands. So, understand that he does have a talent, and he can showcase it.”
At any rate, Adebayo and the Heat are looking to improve after finishing with a 37-45 record, which put them in 10th in the Eastern Conference.
