NBA
Miami’s Erik Spoelstra said Bam Adebayo has ‘been the best defender in the league’ and praised his efforts during the Finals
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated15 Jun 2023
The Miami Heat played incredible team basketball to reach the NBA Finals this season. However, they ran into an almost unstoppable Denver Nuggets squad. After their Finals loss in Game 5, head coach Erik Spoelstra praised his team for their valiant effort. He singled out Bam Adebayo and called said he had been the best defender in the NBA for some time now. High praise from a coach with endless playoff experience.
In 23 games played for the Heat this postseason, Adebayo averaged (17.9) points, (9.9) rebounds, and (3.7) assists. He was their second-highest scorer per game during the playoffs and also led the team in rebounds. The two-time all-star had the difficult task of trying to stop Nikola Jokic during the Finals.
At six-foot-nine, Adebayo is slightly undersized for the center position. That has never stopped him from being a dominant defender in the NBA. The 25-year-old big man did all he could this postseason, but Miami fell short as a team.
“He’s arguably been the best defender in the league now for a handful of years…He doesn’t necessarily get acknowledged for that because he’s not putting up the big shot blocking numbers or whatever metrics they look at.”
– Erik Spoelstra on Bam Adebayo
(Via @5ReasonsSports’… pic.twitter.com/Y7uPnQAyf1
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) June 15, 2023
Erik Spoelstra praised Bam Adebayo for his efforts during the 2023 postseason
For the past four seasons in a row, Bam Adebayo has received second-team All-Defensive honors. While there are only a number of spots available for this award, some think Adebayo has been snubbed from first-team All-Defense. He’s been second-team due to players like Jarren Jackson Jr., Rudy Gobert, and Giannis Antetokounmpo getting first-team honors.
Erik Spoelstra acknowledged that Adebayo doesn’t put up the statistical numbers that voters like to see. However, his head coach believes in his defensive abilities and uses him as a true center in the NBA. Nikola Jokic was his toughest matchup this postseason and he did what he could to stop the two-time MVP.
