Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo States His Case For Defensive Player Of The Year

Adebayo feels he deserves to be in the discussion

With the regular season over, the accolades will start to commence for NBA players. 

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo recently stated his case to win the Defensive Player of the Year award while speaking on J.J. Redick’s podcast The Old Man and The Three.

“J.J. you’ve seen me play,” Adebayo said. “I legit guard one through five. Like at any point and time in the game, on the defensive end, I could guard all five players. Every last one of them, and I would not bat an eye. Coach has thrown me in the fire a couple of times. He’ll wait until the fourth quarter and be like, ‘Nah, you go guard him. Bam’s got him.’”

Adebayo has certainly made his case for award. According to Heat Muse, the Heat have the No. 1 defense when Adebayo is on the court. They are also No. 1 in defensive rebounding and No. 2 in defensive shot quality with Adebayo on the defensive end.

Adebayo’s impact on Miami is undeniable. His versatility and decision-making allow him to get looks against his opposition. In turn, his defensive impact allows his teammates to play better as a unit.

“I feel like I make my teammates better on the defensive end,” Adebayo continued. “Like I said, P.J. [Tucker] allows me to go rogue. Every once in a while, I f*** up, I do. It’s part of the game. But for the most times, it benefits us as a team. We got Jimmy [Butler], who’s an incredible gambler in the open court. You got P.J., you got me, you got Kyle [Lowry]. They let me be who I am.”

Adebayo is in health and safety protocols but is expected to return to the Heat once the postseason begins Sunday.

Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.