Bam Adebayo believes he should have won back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year Awards — saying when it comes to the last two winners, Rudy Gobert and Marcus Smart, he can do more than they can — and when it matters most.
The Miami Heat star was asked by Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks to state his case for why he thinks he’s the best defender in the NBA … and Adebayo said he’s one of a handful of players who guards all five positions.
Bam thinks he “100%” should have won back-to-back DPOY
‘I guard 1 through 5’ 👀
(via @TaylorRooks) pic.twitter.com/8Mob3cQjcs
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 27, 2023
@BleacherReport
“I guard 1-5,” Adebayo told Rooks. “It’s not a lot of us. Me, Draymond [Green], Giannis [Antetoukoumpo] … Who else?” he asked.
Adebayo’s biggest gripe with Gobert, who won the DPOY award three times in his career (2018, 2019, and 2021), and Smart, who won the award last season, is the Timberwolves big man’s defense doesn’t translate in the postseason … and the Celtics guard is too small too defend centers.
“It has to translate and I feel like Rudy in the playoffs didn’t translate and Marcus Smart guards 1-4,” Adebayo said. “That’s the thing that I thought was different between me and them.”
Adebayo finished fourth in the DPOY voting last season behind Gobert, Mikal Bridges, and Smart, who became the first guard to win the award since Gary Payton did in 1996. In 2021, Bam came up short as well … finishing behind Green, Ben Simmons, and Gobert.
Bam appears to respect what Gobert and Smart have accomplished … but it sounds like the 6’9″ center believes he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath — even if he doesn’t have the hardware to back it up.