“I should have won it the last two years, and I will win it this year” - Miami Heat's 3x All-Defensive selection confidently asserts his bid for DPOY

Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo has narrowly missed out on Defensive Player of the Year honors in the last two years.

Adebayo finished 4th in DPOY voting for the second consecutive year. His tally for both years is as follows:

	1st Place Votes (3 Points)	2nd Place Votes (3 Points)	3rd Place Votes (1 Point)	Total points
2021	1	3	17	31
2022	13	17	12	128

Adebayo went so far as to make his case for the award earlier in the year. He appeared on JJ Redick's "The Old Man and The Three" podcast, stating:

"So, like, I legit guard one through five. At any point of time in the game, on the defensive end, I could guard all five players. Coach has thrown me in the fire a couple of times. I take pride in defense, I take pride in getting stops, that makes me feel great.

"I feel like I make my teammates better on the defensive end, every once in a while, I f**k up, I do, it's part of the game, but for the most times, it benefits us as a team"

At six-foot-nine, Adebayo's size, length and quickness allow him to switch efficiently. His ability to guard post-ups and out on the perimeter make him an invaluable part of the Heat.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman quoted Adebayo in one of his recent articles. Winderman wrote:

"Bam Adebayo might prove able to push past last season’s disappointment of losing Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals to the Celtics, but he apparently is not letting go of being beaten out for NBA Defensive Player of the Year the last two seasons by Marcus Smart and Rudy Gobert." (via) South Florida Sun Sentinel

The Miami Heat lost a trip to the NBA Finals on one missed shot, so can they make it back?

Boston Celtics v Miami Heat - Game Seven

Unlike the strengthened Western Conference, the Eastern Conference will remain relatively similar next season.

Should they keep their core together, the Heat are in the running for a top-four seed and yet another deep playoff run. Kyle Lowry is expected to be significantly healthier, we could see Herro as a starter, and Butler and Adebayo aren't going anywhere.

They will undoubtedly be title favorites if the Heat add Kevin Durant to their roster without completely decimating their bench.