Victor Wembanyama Outside race, a candidate for Dpoy gets angry: “Frankly, that's too”

By Joël Pütz | Sports journalist

While the regular season has closed, we can now look at individual rewards. That of the defender of the year is also a debate among the players. Regular candidate for the trophy, Bam Adebayo gave free rein to his frustration.

The trophy seemed played in advance before February 15, but everything has changed since the end of the premature season of Victor Wembanyama. Having not been able to reach the 65 games mark in order to be eligible for the defender of the year, the Frenchman thus opened the door in large for his opponents. While the regular campaign is now over, it is Evan Mobley who would have the best rating according to the bettors.

Evan Mobley is the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, per @BovadaOfficial

Evan Mobley -245
Draymond Green +195
Dyson Daniels +1800 pic.twitter.com/9DUt0ssxae

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 14, 2025

Bam adebayo frustrated to be still snubbed for the Dpoy

Between the Big Man of the Cavs, a Draymond Green Patron of the Warriors fortress and a dyson Daniels which has reached rare summits in terms of interceptions, it fights very hard for the Hakeem Olajuwon trophy. Unfortunately, this also means that other players are on the sidelines. For example, we think of Jaren Jackson Jr., who won him in 2023, or especially Bam Adebayo… again.

It has been five seasons for the pivot of the Heat squat the top 5 voters for five seasons, having even finished on the podium last year behind Wembanyama and the big winner, Rudy Gobert. If at the time, the star of Miami had especially taken it to his competitors and in particular the winner whom he estimated less good than him, he was much more resigned this time with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson by approaching his file:

It's politics. And we can't do much. Some guys have media power, others not. In my case, if we are tenth to the east, you can't really fight for the trophy. Now, if we were third or fourth, you can start talking.

With the 9 season's 9 defensive rating of the League, the South Beach franchise has however ended up among the places for the play-in. A factor that has probably played an important role concerning Adebayo.

The latter has also decided not to complain to change things:

I tried… I'm not going to say to be sold … but I tried to put myself forward, to show myself. And frankly, that's too much. If I have to run after the media so that I am given the Dpoy, then no thank you. I would say (that he deserves the Dpoy, note) … but as I said, it's hard to say that when you are 10th.

Bam Adebayo is tired of the lack of consideration from which he suffers each time that we vote the best defender in the NBA. On the other hand, it cannot be said that the Heat season is playing in its favor, especially since hers was less good than last year.