Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo is one of the premier defenders in the NBA, often matching up with stars across the NBA regardless of position. He recently revealed the player he thinks is the hardest to guard, naming reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic, who beat Adebayo and the Heat in the 2023 NBA Finals.
“Gotta be the Big Fella, the Serbian. The thing that I most like about him is that he don’t flop. Guys try to sell calls, but other than that, he’s not trying to get 16-17 free throws. No. He’s trying to get buckets.”
Bam Adebayo says Nikola Jokic is the hardest player to defend in the NBA
“The thing that I most like about him is like he don’t flop…he not tryna get 16-17 free throws”
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— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 27, 2023
Jokic has proven to the entire NBA that he has earned his position as one of the best players in the NBA over the last five to six seasons. The two-time MVP added a Finals MVP to his cabinet last season, averaging 30.2 points, 14.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists on 58.3% from the field and 42.1% from three over Adebayo in the NBA Finals.
Erik Spoelstra has lauded Bam as one of the best defenders in the NBA, who often gets underrated by the media. But even Bam was no match for Jokic, who found a way to cook him in the Finals regardless. We’ve seen Bam be a heavy matchup for the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid, with many believing nobody guards them as well as Adebayo. However, that didn’t seem to be the case against Jokic.
The point about not flopping is extremely interesting, as many are taking that as a direct shot at Embiid. Embiid is known to try and sell as many calls as possible to maximize his free throws, leading the league in attempts this season.
Nikola Jokic Getting Free Throws Led To Steve Kerr Getting Mad
On Christmas, the Nuggets faced the Warriors, as Denver walked out as winners over a struggling Golden State. Jokic had a poor offensive game, shooting 4-12 but ending the night with 26 points because of 18 free throw attempts. This led Steve Kerr to launch a scathing attack on officiating in the NBA and how players are being rewarded for ‘bulls****ing their way to the free throw line.’
“I have a problem with the way we are legislating defense out of the game. We’re just enabling players to BS their way to the foul line. If I were a fan, I wouldn’t have wanted to watch the second half. It was disgusting.”
The knife was turned on Jokic, but that doesn’t seem to be a trend in the Serbian’s overall game. He averages only 6.3 free throw attempts per game as a bruising center that many centers try to beat using physicality. It’s easy to forget that Jokic is one of the heaviest players in the NBA and cannot be overpowered easily.
Flopping is a major issue in the NBA. An elite center like Adebayo is making it clear that he doesn’t think Jokic is part of the problem. Even if Steve Kerr was upset with the whistle the reigning MVP got on Christmas, it doesn’t seem to be swaying players in the league to brandish Jokic as a foul-baiter or flopper.
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