NBA Media Personality Amin Elhassan Calls Bam Adebayo The Best Defender In The League
The Miami Heat have repeatedly endorsed center Bam Adebayo for the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award, but it hasn't helped.
Adebayo has never won the honor but at least one media personality recently came to his defense. Speaking on the Dan LaBatard Show this week, Amin Elhassan said Adebayo's efforts against the Boston Celtics in Game 2 in the first round of the Eastern Conference plays was a difference-maker.
Adebayo spent time defending the likes of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday of the Celtics.
"He's the best defensive player in the league and it's not even close," Elhassan said. "The moment you show me Rudy Gorbert guarding Jayson Tatum, not on a switch, guarding Jayson Tatum, guarding Jaylen Brown? How did they gottle the Celtics offense in the second half? It was Bam Adebayo. It wasn't just in help defense. It was Bam Adebayo as the primary defender on Brown, on Tatum, on Porzingis, even guarding (Jrue) Holiday) a couple of times. That's the best defensive player in the NBA, bar none."
What has made Adebayo's defense more impressive is he's also contributing on the offensive end. He had 21 points in the Game 2 victory against the Celtics to help make up for the absences of Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier.
"Any time the game gets crazy, they go on a run, we find the ball in Bam's hands," Herro said. "Honestly, he's just our setup guy. We get him the ball. We know he's going to make the right play or a hole in the defense. To have a guy like that on the team, it's huge for us. We're lucky to have someone like that."
