Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo Selected To All-Defensive First Team

Anthony Pasciolla | May 21, 2024

Apr 17, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) controls the ball; Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Heat's award-winning week continued on Tuesday as big man Bam Adebayo was named to the NBA's All-Defensive First Team.

Adebayo earns the selection alongside Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves), Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs), Herbert Jones (New Orleans Pelicans), and Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers). This marks the Heat center's fifth consecutive appearance, and the first in the top group.

The three-time All-Star averaged 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks while posting a 109.3 defensive rating last season. Adebayo finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Gobert (first) and Wembanyama (second). He exhibited his usual defensive prowess by guarding various positions, but was often forced to step up offensively due to injuries. Adebayo averaged 19.3 points and 10.4 rebounds on 52.1 percent shooting in 71 appearances.

Adebayo will stay in strong shape throughout the season as a member of Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympics, but admitted he's not used to having so much time on his hands.

"Man, I got so much time I don't even know what to do with it," Adebayo said in his exit interview. "Which sounds ridiculous considering throughout the season all we ask for is time, but this is time where you just reflect on the season, reflect on what happened, reflect on yourself, and how you can be better and what could've been different."

Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Inside the Heat. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on Instagram @anthony.pasciolla.

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