Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo Makes Bold Claim Regarding NBA Awards

Miami Heat center believes he is judged differently than other defensive players.

Sep 30, 2024; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) poses for a photo during media day at Kaseya Center / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo has accomplished a tremendous amount on the defensive end in his NBA career.

He helped the Heat reach the NBA finals in twice during which he earned selections on five consecutive All-Defensive Teams. However, Adebayo is yet to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. He believes there is a level of unfair judging involved, with a potential bias toward stats.

"People move that goalpost for me with DPOY [Defensive Player of the Year] or All-NBA, it's just like I get why they move it - my stats aren't eye popping," Adebayo said. "But it's like if I am guarding one through five and y'all are saying I can't get DPOY, well there's not a lot of DPOY's getting 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

He finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season behind Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs).

Adebayo averaged just 1.1 steals and less than a block (0.9) compared to the league-leading 3.6 blocks from Wembanyama and Gobert's 2.1. The Heat big man's lack of height compared to other award favorites puts him at a disadvantage, but he makes up for it in his ability to guard almost every position.

"There's not a lot of All-NBA players getting top five in DPOY voting every year," Adebayo shared. "It's just that the goal post moves for me."

Scott Salomon is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at sas@southfloridamedianetwork.com.

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