"Not knowing he gave up 40 in the paint" - Bam Adebayo blatantly calls out DPOY award voters

Bam Adebayo finished in the Top 5 of Defensive Player of the Year voting in the last four seasons.

Adebayo felt that he deserved to win over DPOY in that span, but voters don't rate him enough due to his lack of defensive counting stats. He recently called out voters following the Miami Heat's preseason game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Adebayo had 26 points, six rebounds, six assists and three blocks in 25 minutes on Sunday. Reporters asked him about his performance after the game and how it would translate in the regular season.

The 26-year-old called out voters who are just "stat watchers" and focus on how a player affects the game defensively.

"Obviously, we have a lot of people who are stat watchers," Adebayo said.

"They don't really watch the game, stat watchers. Go straight to the stat column, 'Oh well, he had this much,' not knowing he gave up 40 in the paint depending who it is."

[Bam Adebayo] on defensive awards being about steals and blocks: “Yeah, obviously we have a lot of people who are stat watchers, they don’t really watch the game… straight to the stat column: ‘oh well he had this much’, not knowing he gave up 40 in the paint…” byu/AashyLarry innba

Bam Adebayo is one of the best defensive players in the NBA today. Adebayo finished fifth, fourth, fourth and fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting in the last four years. He has been great on the defensive end, especially in the last two seasons.

Adebayo has always lamented that voters only see what's on the stat sheets and not how a player affects the game. It's one of the reasons why Tim Duncan never won Defensive Player of the Year despite being one of the greatest defensive anchors in NBA history.

Another reason why voters don't rate Adebayo is due to his team's advanced defensive ratings. The last six winners of the DPOY played on teams that are top three in defensive ratings. The Heat finished 11th, seventh, fifth and ninth respectively in defensive ratings in the last four years.

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Bam Adebayo motivated to win DPOY this season

Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat defending Desmond Bane of the Memphis Grizzlies

In an interview with Playmaker HQ in the summer, Bam Adebayo shared his desire to win the Defensive Player of the Year this season.

It's one of his motivations to help the Miami Heat return to the NBA Finals and win his first championship.

"Everybody always looks at the last column, which is how many points did he score in the game?" Adebayo said.

"And people forget that other side of the court exists because of the entertainment business. So, for me, it's just that will, that passion, that mentality. ... I want to get Defensive Player of the Year, just so I can have the award."

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