Ranking the top 10 Kentucky Wildcats in the NBA: Where do Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro land?

4. Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat, Kentucky 2017

Here's a big that Fox won't consistently score on: his college teammate Bam Adebayo. Naysayers like to point out what Bam can't do, but what he can do moves the needle.

His combination of help-side defense, lateral quickness, anticipation, communication, active hands, and heart makes him the best (or second) defender in basketball come playoff time. He's the backline defender who makes teammates feel secure—that trust allows guys to play within themselves, knowing Bam is behind them. Miami's switch-heavy style leaves him on the perimeter more than other bigs.  

He won't anchor your defense like an old-school rim protector due to many factors, but he'll shut down your best wing before he gets to the rim. His aggressiveness as a scorer could improve, but Bam is asked to do a lot already, and scoring like a superstar is not his game. 

He's averaging 20 points and ten boards as a supercharged defensive band-aid. He covers it all. When looking to score, Bams Shimey's jump shot is money. His handle is more fluid than most centers', and he sometimes receives inbound passes from teammates and runs the offense.

Bam doesn't even have to look to score to run the offense; that's another aspect of his game that deserves more credit. He acts as a hub in the middle of the floor, and the Heat can run many things off of him with his ability to attract two players on the roll while being able to make the correct decision. He's also holding together the ninth-best defense. That's All-NBA stuff if the voters have trained eyes.