Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo is having a stellar 2022-23 season, and he believes he deserves an All-Star nod as a result.
The 25-year-old recently spoke about the All-Star selection process and explained that he’s counting on NBA coaches to vote him in. He likely won’t get in via the fan vote, which he understands is beyond his control.
“I’ll leave fan voting to fan voting,” Adebayo said to the Miami Herald. “There are guys that shouldn’t even be on that list. But it’s fan voting. That’s what it is and you got to live with that. I mean, right now I’m in a position where it’s based off the coaches in the East. Now that, I’m going to be [upset] about if they tell me somebody else has played better than me this year considering I’m leading the NBA in paint points and I’m one of the reasons why we’re winning.
“So for me, it’s just that fan voting is fan voting. I’ll let that be. But when it comes to coaches voting, that’s when I feel like I deserve to be in it.”
Adebayo had a monster game on Tuesday against the Boston Celtics, racking up 30 points and 15 boards while going 12-for-22 from the field. His biggest shot of the night came in the final moments of the game, as he hit a jumper with 20.4 seconds left to put the Heat in front for good.
The sixth-year pro is having the best season of his career so far. He’s averaging 21.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 54.0 percent from the field.
He’s becoming far more aggressive on the offensive end, which is great news for the Heat. After averaging 13.0 shots per game last season, he’s putting up 16.0 shots per game this season.
On top of all that, he’s still doing his thing on defense, making a massive impact on that end whenever he’s on the floor.
Adebayo made the All-Star Game in the 2019-20 season, but he hasn’t made it since. He’s hoping that will change this season.
There’s no telling where the Heat would be this season without Adebayo. He’s had a huge hand in helping the team creep back into the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.
Miami is five games over .500 after its latest win. At 27-22, the squad holds the No. 6 seed in the East. After a 7-11 start to the season, the Heat are starting to find their rhythm.
The team will be back in action on Friday for a winnable game against the Orlando Magic.