Bam gets defensive stumping for award

MIAMI — Bam Adebayo works. It’s what he does. It’s what made him an All-Star, got him a maximum-scale rookie contract extension, has him as a talking point by opposing coaches almost a nightly basis.

And yet for weeks, the fifth-year Miami Heat center also has been tirelessly working the interview room as his own campaign manager, pushing the electorate to view him as he sees himself, as the NBA’s rightful owner of the title of Defensive Player of the Year.

“I feel like at this point, I’m the only player really making those type of eye-popping plays,” Adebayo said this past week, when asked why he simply doesn’t settle for allowing his play to do the talking. “That’s my pride. I feel like if I’m going to go out there and give it my all, I want my accolade for it, in my opinion.”

It again stands as a highly contested race. At NBA.com, the league latest Defensive Player Ladder, does not have Adebayo in the current top three (the number of spaces for votes on the media ballot), instead, listing, in order, Giannis Antetokounmpo, followed by Rudy Gobert, who has won the award three of the last four years, including last year, and then Mikal Bridges.

Instead, Adebayo is listed as part of “The Next Five: in no particular order,” along with Draymond Green, Marcus Smart, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Herbert Jones.

When Adebayo returned in mid-January from his seven-week absence following thumb surgery, he stood as a decided longshot. But, now, the latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook have him even with Gobert, well ahead of Antetokounmpo and Bridges.

In that regard, the wise guys appear to be wising up.

As, Heat point guard Kyle Lowry said they should.

“He switches on guards. He guards and protects the rim. He can do it all. He’s one of those guys who’s multifaceted,” Lowry said. “He’s able to cover a lot of ground on the floor, and not just be in the paint. He can go out on the perimeter.

“He’s been doing a hell of a job for us all season. It’s not just about steals and blocks. It’s about being in the right positions, to change shots.”