Snubbed! Bam Adebayo again overlooked for defensive efforts

The block that you see as the image of this article was one of the most clutch blocks in NBA history. For Bam Adebayo, that was just another night. Consistently guarding 1-5, on the interior and exterior, and keeping the Miami Heat's defense in the top 11 since he's joined the team.

Yet today when the NBA GM survey was released, Bam was left off every section, best defensive player, best perimeter/interior defender, and most versatile defender. Quite the debacle for a guy who has come in the top 10 of defensive player of the year voting for 6 straight years.

Now I have discussed it before when it comes to Bam, like Mario Chalmers said earlier this offseason they expect it from Bam, and they move the goalposts because he's not scoring every night, but every true basketball enthusiast knows the impact goes well beyond the box score.

Bam Adebayo is one of the few players in the NBA who can legitimately guard all five positions. His lateral quickness allows him to switch onto guards, his strength and timing let him body centers, and his anticipation disrupts passing lanes and screens alike. In the 2024-25 season, he averaged 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks per game, also tallying 4.0 defensive win shares this past season, 7th in the NBA despite the Heat’s minimal defense.

For Bam this season is about fully asserting himself as the teams captain. We saw that growth last season after the Jimmy Butler debacle and now we see coach Spo challenging him to grow in that way. “Everybody will always point to his scoring average. He’ll be able to score,” Spoelstra said. “I’m excited to see his next step of development, that’ll be in leadership, mentorship.”Bam is the captain, and he is in control of the Miami Heat's future development.

Everyone knows what Bam can do, and he is overlooked because of the Heat's success, he is overlooked because he doesn't score 20+ a night, but once again, his impact goes well beyond the box score. To be left out of an all-defensive team, and now the general manager survey, just gives Bam some of that "bulletin board" material, and while he gets ready to lead the Heat into this next chapter, he's also ready to remind the league why he's the most versatile defensive player in the NBA.

Bam Adebayo Ready to Lead Heat into New Chapter

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