Defensive Player of the Year:
Bam Adebayo/Miami Heat (+650)
This guy was there last year but missed too many games, like many Defensive Player of the Year contenders.
While Rudy Gobert is the clear favorite for the new team, he’s easily the center of attention, but Bam Adebayo is more valuable, and he fits all the boxes:
- He’s in the right spot (the big has won 25 of the past 30 DPOYs).
- His team will be one of the best defensively in the NBA.
- His metrics were robust and supplemented with vision tests.
- Vision tests are great.
- He’s one of the few deterrents which can effectively guard all five positions.
Versatility should give Bam Adebayo the edge here. Gobert may find himself in a similar situation to last season: filling the holes around him in Minnesota and Minnesota’s two best defenders returning to Utah in exchange for him.
Sadly, Gobert was injured last year, and we can’t gauge how much voter fatigue will hurt his situation on the brink of a record fourth DPOY.