Udonis Haslem, a Miami Heat great, praised Bam Adebayo’s defensive versatility after NBA insider Shams Charania voted for Minnesota Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert as the Defensive Player of the Year.
Last season, Gobert won his fourth Defensive Player of the Year title, with Adebayo finishing third behind Gobert and San Antonio Spurs player Victor Wembanyama.
Adebayo, however, was named to the All-Defensive First Team for the first time in his NBA career, joining Anthony Davis, Herb Jones, Gobert, and Wembanyama.
As Haslem suggested, Adebayo’s versatility could be his calling card on defense. Whether he’s guarding bigs in the post or guards and wings on the perimeter, the three-time All-Star adds tremendous value on that end of the court.
During Miami’s first round matchup against the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, Adebayo demonstrated his ability to guard numerous positions effectively. According to NBA.com, he guarded nine different Celtics during the best-of-seven series, with the majority of his time spent checking Jayson Tatum, one of the game’s finest offensive players.
However, Adebayo not only frequently guarded Tatum, but he also forced numerous misses. Tatum went 2-for-9 from the field against Adebayo and committed five turnovers.
The Heat eventually lost to the Celtics in five games, but Adebayo’s brilliance on both sides of the ball was a bright spot in the team’s defeat. Throughout the series, the 27-year-old averaged 22.6 points per game on 49.5% shooting from the field, as well as 9.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
Perhaps the 2024-25 season will see Adebayo, who has long been one of the NBA’s best defenders, finally win the league’s Defensive Player of the Year title.
