(Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)
Nearly 18 months ago, Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo became the third player in franchise history to make All-Defensive first team after four-straight seasons of earning second-team honors.
Miami’s captain may be undersized relative to other NBA centers, but that hasn’t stopped him from being one of the most scheme-versatile bigs in the entire league. Deep Drop. Drop at the level. Blitz. Hedge. Switch. You name it, he could do it at an elite level.
However, months after his All-Defensive team streak was snapped, league executives no longer view the Heat star as one of the most versatile defenders in the NBA.
Bam Adebayo did not receive a single vote for the “NBA’s most versatile defender” question in latest GM survey:
Hello, bulletin board material. Nice to see you again!
Adebayo, 28, has never earned the most votes for said question, to be fair. But the 6-foot-9 big man finished third, third and fourth, respectively, each of the previous three seasons.
General managers’ word isn’t end-all, be-all. Though it is a surprising omission nonetheless; 11 players received at least one vote, led by Houston’s Amen Thompson (18 percent). Rightfully, the Rockets’ 6-foot-7 Swiss Army knife has Defensive Player of the Year potential (if Victor Wembanyama’s doesn’t meet 65-game minimum).
And so does Adebayo.
It’s an entirely separate discussion, but the Heat have finished as a top-10 defense each of the last six seasons, including a top-7 defense in three of the last four.
Over that span, Spoelstra pivoted from a switch-heavy scheme, to Adebayo playing far more drop, back to a more switch-heavy scheme last year.
Given the defensive personnel concerns at the point-of-attack, Adebayo’s importance to the Heat defense can’t be understated. One could argue he’ll be surrounded by more dynamic defenders heading into 2025-26, so I’m curious to see how Spoelstra will try to maximize his strengths.
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