Miami Heat anchor, Bam Adebayo, currently 4th on NBA Defensive Player Ladder

Nobody Defends The Way And As Effectively As Bam Does For Miami Heat

Sitting at four, Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies, Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Nic Claxton of the Brooklyn Nets, in that order, all sit before him.

And while they are all pretty good defenders in their own rights, they aren’t Bam Adebayo. It’s the classic case of those that are supposed to be in the know, not really knowing what they are judging.

The top three guys are also bigs but don’t primarily get it done in the same way as Bam does for his Miami Heat. While Adebayo guards any and every single body on the opposition, the top three guys in the rankings right now excel at help-side or weakside defense, where they just clean up shots at the rim or other people’s primary assignments.

Now, JJJ does have a bit of that ability to guard guys anywhere on the court, to be fair, but he doesn’t do it at anywhere near the effectiveness or frequency that Bam does. The other two guys, well, it really isn’t even a question.

And while there is a long way to go for things to be all said and done here, let’s hope that things eventually correct themselves. Because while someone will always disagree that he may, in fact, be the league’s best defender, he certainly isn’t fourth, and especially behind these guys.