MIAMI — Bam Adebayo works. It’s what he does. It’s what made him an All-Star, got him a maximum-scale rookie contract extension, has him as a talking point by opposing coaches almost a nightly basis.
And yet for weeks, the fifth-year Miami Heat center also has been tirelessly working the interview room as his own campaign manager, pushing the electorate to view him as he sees himself, as the NBA’s rightful owner of the title of Defensive Player of the Year.
“I feel like at this point, I’m the only player really making those type of eye-popping plays,” Adebayo said this past week, when asked why he simply doesn’t settle for allowing his play to do the talking. “That’s my pride. I feel like if I’m going to go out there and give it my all, I want my accolade for it, in my opinion.”
It again stands as a highly contested race.
At NBA.com, the league latest Defensive Player Ladder, does not have Adebayo in the current top three (the number of spaces for votes on the media ballot), instead, listing, in order, Giannis Antetokounmpo, followed by Rudy Gobert, who has won the award three of the last four years, including last year, and then Mikal Bridges.
Instead, Adebayo is listed as part of “The Next Five: in no particular order,” along with Draymond Green, Marcus Smart, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Herbert Jones.
When Adebayo returned in mid-January from his seven-week absence following thumb surgery, he stood as a decided longshot. But, now, the latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook have him even with Gobert, well ahead of Antetokounmpo and Bridges.
In that regard, the wise guys appear to be wising up.
As, Heat point guard Kyle Lowry said they should.
“He switches on guards. He guards and protects the rim. He can do it all. He’s one of those guys who’s multifaceted,” Lowry said. “He’s able to cover a lot of ground on the floor, and not just be in the paint. He can go out on the perimeter.
“He’s been doing a hell of a job for us all season. It’s not just about steals and blocks. It’s about being in the right positions, to change shots.”
While several defensive metrics have Adebayo at the top of the charts, teammate Jimmy Butler, like Lowry, said seeing should be believing.
“I mean,” Butler said. “if you look at what he does for our team on defense, he’s everywhere on the floor. He gets steals. He’s guarding guards. He’s guarding bigs. He gets blocks.
“I just think he does so many things well. And he can switch, he can show, he can be in a drop. But he’s the anchor to our defense. So he has my vote. But that doesn’t really matter.”
The only Heat player named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in the franchise’s previous 33 seasons has been Alonzo Mourning, in 1999 and 2000.
Considering the NBA annual awards only take the regular season into account, with ballots due before the start of the playoffs, Adebayo’s contention is that the polling should be focused on the top of the standings, where the Heat lead the Eastern Conference.
To Adebayo, that rise is because of several award-worthy performances.
“I feel like if Kyle keeps being the floor general, Tyler [Herro] keeps being Sixth Man of the Year, Jimmy keeps being JiMVP and I keep being DPOY, I feel like this team has no ceiling in my opinion,” he said. “We can be one of the best teams in this league, when we’re all clicking, we’re all connected and we’re all playing together and having fun.”
To Adebayo, that also should mean fun at the ballot box, a year after he was left off of the list of the three finalists, placing fourth.
As for the Heat’s chances at other annual NBA awards:
— Sixth Man Award: To put into perspective how far Herro is ahead of the field, consider that Caesars Sportsbook has the Heat guard at -4000 to win the award, with Kevin Love next closest at +2500.
No recounts will be needed here.
The Heat have never had a winner of the award.
— Most Improved Player: For all the growth he has shown this season, Herro does not appear to rate when it comes to the award won previously by the Heat’s Rony Seikaly in 1990 and Isaac Austin in 1997.
Caesars has Ja Morant as the odds-on favorite, with Herro tied for a distant eighth in the odds, behind Morant, Darius Garland, Miles Bridges, Dejounte Murray, Anfernee Simons, Tyrese Maxey and Jarrett Allen.
— Coach of the Year: For all of his accomplishments, including being voted by peers as one of the Top 15 coaches of all time, Erik Spoelstra has never won the official NBA award (he shared in 2017 in the one voted on by fellow coaches), with Pat Riley in 1997 the Heat’s lone Coach of the Year.
That could change this season, with Spoelstra a close third in Vegas Insider’s odds, behind co-favorites Monty Williams of the Suns and J.B. Bickerstaff of the Cavaliers.
— Most Valuable Player: Will all due respect to Adebayo’s respect for JiMVP, the Heat ensemble approach does not lend itself to a specific leading man.
LeBron James has been the Heat’s lone MVP, taking the honor in 2012 and ‘13.
— Rookie of the Year: Omer Yurtseven and Javonte Smart are the Heat’s only rookies, so no contenders there.
The Heat have never had a Rookie of the Year, with Dwyane Wade entering the same season as James.
