Expressing his chagrin, Miami’s mentor Erik Spoelstra criticized NBA executives for disregarding Bam Adebayo in a recent survey of players.
Commissioned by the NBA, the survey tasked the league’s front office decision-makers with selecting the top performers in various sections, notably spotlighting the top defensive stalwart in the NBA.
Adebayo, plying his trade for the Miami Heat, curiously garnered no votes, leaving Spoelstra dumbfounded.
In disbelief, Spoelstra shared with Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, “I find this hard to fathom. Bam, in my view, is unparalleled on the defensive end in the league. It baffles me why his defensive prowess is being overlooked. He will need to once again validate his caliber and display it this season until everyone acknowledges his prowess. I believe that’s a coveted accolade to aim for.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks clinched the lion’s share of the votes for the finest defensive player, amassing 40 percent, while Jrue Holiday of the Boston Celtics, a recent recruit, secured 13 percent of the ballots.
Tying for the third spot, both Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors and Marcus Smart amassed 10 percent of the votes.
In the defensive rating tally for the 2022-23 campaign, Adebayo tallied a rating of 110.9, as opposed to Giannis’ 107.7.
One plausible rationale for the GMs’ oversight could be inclined towards recency bias, highlighted when Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets outplayed Adebayo for a significant chunk of the NBA Finals showdown.
Despite Miami Heat’s presence in the NBA Finals in the prior season, they failed to secure a single ballot to emerge victoriously in the forthcoming season.
Image Source: Erik Spoelstra @ Instagram
