4. Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert vs Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo
Unlike Antetokounmpo (and, spoiler alert, a certain Utah Jazz center) Bam Adebayo will not fall victim to voter fatigue in this year’s Defensive Player of the Year award running. He’s never received the award, and may be a prime candidate to do so.
Last season, Adebayo was named to the All-NBA Defensive Second Team, and deservingly so. He averaged 1.2 steals per game to go with 1.0 blocks per game, and finished the year with a stout 107 Defensive Rating.
If the award were handed out on the basis of defensive versatility alone, Adebayo may have already received it. He’s the rare big man who can defend in space, making him a highly coveted commodity in the modern NBA: a switchable center. His rare ability to do so makes him a modernized big man even in the absence of a reliable three-point shot.
Adebayo is also a more-than-competent rim-protector. With that rare combination of skills, one may be justified in asking why Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert and others project as more deserving of the Defensive Player of the Year award.
The answer is relatively simple. Adebayo may be the most versatile defensive player in the NBA, but as of now, he’s just short of elite in each main facet of defense. His (relative) deficiency in both perimeter and interior defense is highlighted by his basic counting stats. His 1.2 steals per game are an elite mark for a big man, but not for an NBA player in general. Meanwhile, his 1.0 blocks per contest from 2020-21 are below average for a starting NBA center.
Adebayo can defend in space, but if he’s the primary assignment against any team’s best perimeter bucket-getter, the Heat might be in for a long night. Meanwhile, he may be an excellent rim protector (as we know, blocked shots do not always equal elite interior defense) but it’s hard to call him one of the NBA’s best, partly due to his comparatively diminutive 6’9 height.
If Adebayo takes a step forward in either category this season, he may dethrone Utah Jazz superstar Rudy Gobert. Otherwise, he’s likely to remain on the periphery of the Defensive Player of the Year award.