"Adebayo, 28, has always been incredibly versatile in scheme. Despite being an undersized center, Adebayo's one of the few players who can legitimately defend 1 thru 5 on a nightly basis - as well as play drop effectively, hard hedge or even blitz (and recover) on the perimeter. There's nothing he can't do defensively, even though that doesn't always catch the eye of the casual viewer."
"You can teach foot speed, but Adebayo's innate ability to react, flip his hips, maintain foot speed, stay disciplined and defend without fouling will never get old. Never. No matter how old it ends up being, it will always bring a smile to all of our faces. Monday night's stop against James Harden with under 1:20 left - which Duncan shared above - was a perfect example of why he's paid the big bucks."
Bam Adebayo is one of the NBA's best defenders, finishing top-5 in Defensive Player of the Year voting five times including a top-3 finish in 2023-24. He is 28 and uniquely versatile in scheme, able to defend positions 1 through 5 nightly while playing drop, hard hedge, or blitz and recovering on the perimeter. He can switch and contain opposing ballhandlers at an elite level and anchors the Heat's defense. He currently leads the league in pick-and-roll switches (34) while the Heat allow roughly 64 points per 100 possessions on those trips. Adebayo combines innate reaction, hip-flipping foot speed, discipline to avoid fouls, and high scoring and rebounding production, averaging 22.4 points and 9.1 rebounds through seven games.
Read at Hot Hot Hoops - Miami HEAT NBA Blog
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