A look into Victor Wembanyama, Bam Adebayo's race for DPOY

Bam Adebayo continues to try and reach the heights of bringing home some deserved hardware when it comes to recognizing his defensive abilities.

He's fallen short a few times over the years when it comes to the voting process, partly due to the team's regular season record not being at a high enough level, aside from that 2022 season where Adebayo made a strong case as the one seed in the Eastern Conference.

The other issue is that there is an emerging young star named Victor Wembanyama that will be hard to beat out over the years due to his size, versatility, and frankly his ability to put up gaudy numbers with his shot blocking ability.

No doubt about it, that former number one overall pick is as elite as it gets on the defensive side of the ball. But it's also obvious that the way he does it fits the award system much better.

Highlight plays, blocks around the rim, and those loud numbers are what many around the league want to see.

Adebayo's defensive impact may not be as loud and fun as Wembanyama's, but the level of effectiveness is linear.

"These next six weeks if we can defend the way we have been the last month, then I think it's a two man race in DPOY," Erik Spoelstra voiced two weeks ago on Adebayo and Wembanyama.

Coach Spo says it could be a two man race for DPOY between Bam and Wemby 👀

“These next 6 weeks if we can defend the way we have been the last month, then I think it’s a two man race in DPOY. I think it’s whatever flavor you like…. A unicorn shot blocker that totally changes… https://t.co/VVkUdCKzG8 pic.twitter.com/la5DdOVRrF
— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) March 10, 2026

"I think it's whatever flavor you like," Spoelstra continued. "A unicorn shot blocker that totally changes everything in the paint, or a unicorn 1 through 5 that can do any scheme in this league."

The Miami Heat currently sit as the sixth best defense in the association with a 112.1 defensive rating, while the San Antonio Spurs remain comfortably in that 3rd spot with a 110.5 defensive rating.

Things have fallen apart when both these guys step off the floor for their respective teams, but the middling state of the Heat make it even more impressive that Adebayo has solely placed Miami as a top 5 defense for most of the season.

Although Erik Spoelstra frames this as a two-man race, the betting odds say otherwise.

While Wembanyama sits as the heavy favorite for this award, Chet Holmgren, Rudy Gobert, and Scottie Barnes all have better odds to win this award than Adebayo does at this current moment.

With the Heat in the 9 seed prior to this match-up with the Spurs, it would be a longshot to think Adebayo has a real shot at this trophy.

Even though it may sound crazy, Adebayo's offense and scoring surge as of late helps his positioning for the defensive player of the year award moving forward.

There is real national attention surrounding Adebayo's 83 point night this season, and with more heads looking his way, it'll naturally provide more buzz from a national perspective about his defense, as a one man army that is a literal walking defensive coverage.

This Wembanyama-Adebayo duel taking place in Miami on Monday night shouldn't sway these odds in either direction, but it wouldn't be the worst thing for Adebayo to flash his one-on-one defense on the national stage against that freak of nature on the other side.

And even deeper than awards, the Heat's captain is looking for a big win to help Miami make a late push out of this play-in sinking hole they find themselves in.