Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem highlighted big man Bam Adebayo’s versatility on the defensive end of the floor after NBA insider Shams Charania revealed that he voted for Minnesota Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert as the Defensive Player of the Year.
Gobert ended up winning last season’s Defensive Player of the Year award — the fourth of his pro career — while Adebayo finished in third place for the award behind Gobert and San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.
But Adebayo was selected to the All-Defensive First Team — along with Anthony Davis, Herb Jones, Gobert and Wembanyama — for the first time in his NBA career.
As Haslem implied, Adebayo’s versatility may be his calling card on the defensive end. Whether he’s guarding bigs in the post or guards and wings on the perimeter, the three-time All-Star brings an endless amount of value on that side of the floor.
Adebayo’s knack for guarding multiple positions was on full display during Miami’s series against the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. According to NBA.com, he spent time guarding nine different Celtics in the best-of-seven series but spent the most time checking Jayson Tatum, who is one of the better offensive players in the game today.
But Adebayo didn’t just guard Tatum with great frequency — he also forced plenty of misses. Tatum shot just 2-of-9 from the field when matched up against Adebayo and also turned the ball over five times.
The Heat went on to lose to the Celtics in five games, but the play of Adebayo on both sides of the ball was a bright spot for Miami in the team’s losing effort. The 27-year-old averaged 22.6 points per contest on 49.5 percent shooting from the field as well as 9.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game for the series.
Perhaps the 2024-25 season will be the season where Adebayo — who has long been one of the NBA’s top defenders — finally captures the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award.