Miami Heat defender Bam Adebayo finished with his best Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) placing, further establishing his respected stature as one of the NBA’s best.
Solid Defensive Season Lands Heat Defender Best DPOY Finish Yet
The Stifle Tower Rises Even Higher
This season, Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, aka “The Stifle Tower,” etched another notch in his DPOY award bat — his fourth one. Gobert has unquestionably been a defensive powerhouse, going back to his days with the Utah Jazz and now in Minnesota. But one player, a defensive stalwart in his own right, has come up short in the DPOY race in recent years — Adebayo.
Heat Defender Has His Best DPOY Finish Yet
Over the last few years, the Heat center has been the team’s defensive cornerstone. Having spent his entire career thus far with the Heat, Adebayo has upped his performance and productivity each year. These efforts consistently put his name in the league’s best defensive players category. Since 2020, the year that Miami played in the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, Adebayo has been in the top five in DPOY voting. That year, he came in fifth. The defender finished fourth in the subsequent two years, 2021 and 2022. In 2023, he again finished fifth. Focusing back to the present, in 2024, Adebayo came in third — his best-ever finish in DPOY voting. Only the winner, Gobert, and exemplary first-year rookie, Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, finished ahead of Adebayo.
Adebayo’s Regular Season and Playoff Performances
The Heat defender had another solid regular season. He averaged 19-10-4, adding 0.9 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. In a year again marred with injuries for the Heat, Adebayo was one of the more dependable players on the floor, appearing in 71 out of 82 regular season games. His excellent play continued into the playoffs against the Boston Celtics. Because of Miami’s injuries, Adebayo had to shoulder much of the offensive load in addition to his defensive responsibilities. His regular season stat line increased to 22.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists.
Miami’s season closed out disappointingly, falling to the Celtics in round one. Despite this, Heat president Pat Riley was not lost on Adebayo’s solid defensive play throughout the season. He recently highlighted Adebayo’s growth, praising him for being an integral part of the team in recent years. Of course, being regarded as one of the best defenders in the league, not to mention consideration for DPOY year after year, only elevates Riley’s assessment.
The NBA Center Position Has Evolved
Scanning over the NBA landscape of big men and paint defenders, the center position has evolved over the years. Now, we’re seeing more and more centers leave the paint and defend outside the box. We’re also seeing more centers pulling up for three, with a few of these big men knocking them down — case in point: Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Domantas Sabonis. Adebayo has looked to take his offense outside the paint to shoot the mid-range and the occasional three more. His defensive prowess makes him such a solid and reliable player, though.
One could question why he has yet to triumph as a defensive player of the year. The four-time NBA All-Defensive Team honoree certainly has the play to win the illustrious award. One could also argue that Miami’s yearly struggles to score points at a high clip have forced Heat defender Adebayo to carry a large portion of the offensive load. These efforts may have led to decreased play on the other end of the floor. Of course, that potential decreased play has still always been defensive player of the year-worthy performance.
If Only Wembenyama Weren’t Around…
It’s unfortunate to acknowledge the likelihood that Wembenyama will take the award each year until he retires. Of course, I say that in jest, but this would leave Adebayo without even one victory. Regardless, he will continue to be in the conversation as one of the best paint defenders in the NBA. This offseason gives Adebayo the time and space to improve his craft and challenge the likes of Wemby, Gobert, Embiid, and Anthony Davis for DPOY next season.
