Bam Adebayo is understandably frustrated with the way NBA voters have operated of late. In his eyes, no matter what he does, he can't seemingly get the recognition that he deserves. And, to a certain extent, Bam couldn't be more right.
Finally reaching his boiling point, Bam made his opinion heard when discussing the topic with reporters recently.
"The goalposts always move for me. We got a top-five defense, and it’s like I’ve heard nothing about it. … I do think I should be on an All-Defensive team. I feel like that’s understood. But people might try to pick other dudes or whatever the case may be. They try to use anything. I don’t even know what the criteria is anymore because at first it was about winning, and then you got guys that aren’t winning that are on the team. It’s confusing to the criteria, but I’ve always prided myself on defense. I do think I deserve to be All-Defensive team, first team. We got a top-four defense, so that is the level of DPOY. So yeah, the numbers don’t lie."Bam Adebayo
When you look at his numbers, the impact he consistently has on the Miami Heat, especially on the defensive end of the floor, the lack of accolades doesn't quite add up.
Bam Adebayo is constantly overlooked
Even though Bam has been an All-Defensive team regular over the course of his career, he notoriously didn't make it last season and has just one top 3 finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting over the course of his career.
He's anchored a Heat defense that has six-straight top 10 finishes in Defensive Rating, consistently is the glue that holds everything together, and could be considered the most versatile defender in the league. Still, it doesn't feel as if he gets the respect that he deserves from NBA voters.
Again, no top 3 Defensive Player of the Year finishes is quite perplexing. There's an argument to be made that Bam has been the best defensive player in the league for numerous of the past few years.
For one reason or another, as Bam notes, he is always overlooked. And, at a certain point, that becomes increasingly frustrating.
Bam Adebayo is pointing out an obvious flaw
Clearly, there are going to be some who view these comments from Bam as complaining or jealousy. But I don't think these comments are about anyone else, and more about the obvious flaw that exists between the NBA voters and players whose efforts are consistently ignored.
Objectively, Bam does have a point. There are too many times when voters fall in love with narratives more than what the advanced stats may indicate. While there's a time and place for intriguing narratives, they can often get in the way of a player who is deserving.
In this case, Bam.
For example, over the last few years, Bam has been consistently overlooked because he may not have the counting stats or fit the narrative that Evan Mobley, Rudy Gobert, or Jaren Jackson Jr. may have. However, I don't think there's much of an argument to be made that any of those players have a bigger defensive impact on their respective teams than Bam.
It's pretty egregious that Bam doesn't get the respect from voters that he so clearly deserves. Just look at this Heat roster. There's no reason why they should be a top 5 defensive team in the league. Nevertheless, because of Bam, he has made the Heat's defense not just respectable or good. They've been elite this season.
With the way Defensive Player of the Year odds stand at the moment, it appears that Bam is in for another disappointment.
Again, this is not a knock on Victor Wembanyama or Chet Holmgren, who are the current favorites to win the award. But this is more Bam highlighting a bigger problem with NBA voting at large.