It is not easy to play defense at a high level in the NBA these days but Bam Adebayo is one of the few who is capable of that.
The big man doesn’t feel he gets the respect he deserves though as he told Taylor Rooks that he should have won Defensive Player Of The Year in each of the last two seasons.
Taylor Rooks: “You have said that you are the best defender in the NBA. Make your case.”
Bam Adebayo: “I guard 1 through 5. There’s not a lot of us: me, Draymond, Giannis. Who else?”
Taylor Rooks: “Well last year, Marcus Smart won. Year before that, Rudy won.”
Bam Adebayo: “Yeah but Rudy can’t.“
Taylor Rooks: “You say Rudy no?”
Bam Adebayo: “Nah.”
Taylor Rooks: “You were like ‘I should’ve won the DPOY the last two years.’”
Bam Adebayo: “100%.”
Taylor Rooks: “Why do you feel like you should have won over Rudy and Marcus?”
Bam Adebayo: “It has to translate, and I feel like Rudy in the playoffs didn’t translate. And, Marcus Smart guards 1 through 4.”
Bam thinks he “100%” should have won back-to-back DPOY
'I guard 1 through 5' 👀
(via @TaylorRooks) pic.twitter.com/8Mob3cQjcs
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 27, 2023
Rudy Gobert’s defense not translating well to the playoffs is something everyone brings up, but DPOY is ultimately a regular-season award which doesn’t factor in what happens in the playoffs. As for his case against Marcus Smart, it would basically disqualify every guard from ever winning the award, which would be unfair. This is not the first time Bam has brought this up regarding Smart though, so he clearly feels very strongly about it.
Still, Adebayo finished 4th in the voting in both seasons so he wasn’t particularly close in either instance to winning the award. He should probably end up winning it at some point in his career though as he is really very good at what he does, but statements like these aren’t a great look.
Anthony Edwards Spoke On Rudy Gobert’s Impact On Defense
Gobert may have fallen off from those dizzy heights when he won the DPOY award thrice, but he remains a very good defender. His teammate Anthony Edwards stated last month that he has been seeing Gobert’s impact on defense a lot more as the season has gone on.
Edwards claimed that the Frenchman’s presence alone affects a lot of people on the court and that is true. Gobert is far from perfect but the disrespect aimed at him really goes overboard a lot of times.
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