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Bam Adebayo gets real about being snubbed for the DPOY award (Image credits: Imagn)

Bam Adebayo has been considered one of the best defenders in the NBA. At 6-foot-9, Adebayo can guard almost any player in any position, making him an integral part of the Miami Heat’s system.

While fans have lauded his defense for a long time, he hasn’t gotten the recognition he deserves, often getting snubbed for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Adebayo has made the All-Defensive second team from the 2019-20 season until the 2022-23 season. He broke his streak of making the second team last season when he became part of the All-Defensive first team. However, in the DPOY race, it’s a different story.

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Over the past five seasons, the defensive star has finished in the top five of the DPOY race every year. Two of those awards went to Rudy Gobert, for the 2020–21 and the 2023–24 seasons. Marcus Smart also got his first defensive award before Adebayo, during the 2021–22 season.

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Coming into the season, the Heat big man gave what he thinks is the reason for him not winning the defensive award, despite being regarded as one of the best in the league.

“So when people move that goal post for me with DPOY [Defensive Player of the Year] or All-NBA,” Adebayo said. “It’s just like I get why they move it — my stats aren’t eye-popping.

“But it’s like if I’m guarding one through five and y’all are saying I can’t get DPOY, well there’s not a lot of DPOYs getting 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. And there’s not a lot of All-NBA players getting top five in DPOY voting every year. It’s just that the goal post moves for me.”

This season, Adebayo looks for bigger possibilities with the team. With it, he may concentrate on mastering just one facet of the game.

The Heat could explore bigger lineups for Bam Adebayo this season

Bam Adebayo has spent most of his playing career in the center position. This has allowed the Heat to play smaller and quicker, making them a problem offensively. Back in May, former Heat forward Udonis Haslem touched on the idea of having the big man play the power forward position.

During the team’s media day, this was brought up and Adebayo was open to the idea of playing alongside another big man on the court.

“I think it will get explored because it was kind of an idea at the Olympics,” Adebayo said, but he still doesn’t mind playing the center position. “Obviously, I think that’s where a lot of the buzz was coming from. Because it was like, ‘How does Bam play the four position? And does he do this, does he do that?’ The way I played kind of put it in perspective of, ‘No, he’s really positionless and can do it all.'”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra also hinted at the possibility of having Adebayo in more double-big lineups this season.