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Why Heat’s Bam Adebayo-Victor Wembanyama comparison is on Erik Spoelstra’s mind
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Why Heat's Bam Adebayo-Victor Wembanyama comparison is on Erik Spoelstra's mind appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
MIAMI – As the Miami Heat look to overcome the pain after the heartbreaking loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday, the team is looking to snap its four-game skid against the San Antonio Spurs . With Heat's Bam Adebayo taking on sensation Victor Wembanyama , head coach Erik Spoelstra would speak on how they are similar in one area.
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There's no denying that Adebayo and Wembanyama are vastly different players, as Spoelstra mentions, but in terms of how other teams prepare for each player, both of their strengths offensively come from all over the court. It could also be argued that both Adebayo and Wembanyama are the anchors for their respective teams on both sides of the ball as well.
"[Wembanyama] is their leading scorer, and so he's doing it all over the floor. Obviously, a totally different player than Bam [Adebayo], but that's probably similar when you're preparing for Bam offensively, all over the floor, handling, screening, playing at the three-point line, playing in the post, playing off of drives, they screen for him," Spoelstra said before Monday night's game against Wembanyama and San Antonio .
"So all those things you have to be ready for. And our defense is prepared all season long for those kinds of situations," Spoelstra continued. "And then if you don't prepare for him being at the rim, you know that's irresponsible. He's going to be there. They have great defense, and he alters a lot of things at the rim, and we don't want to take the brakes off or show so much respect, but you do have to be aware of where your outlets are, and all this kind of fits into how we want to play anyway."
Is the DPOY race between Heat's Bam Adebayo , Victor Wembanyama
Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
The Heat's captain in Adebayo and Wembanyama could be connected in another way as well, with both being in potential contention for the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY). The award has eluded Adebayo for his whole career, with many thinking he has deserved at least one up until this point with his elite ability to cover every position, whereas Wembanyama could be on his way after being the blocks leader for the last two years.
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A few weeks ago, on March 10, Spoelstra would say to ClutchPoints that it could be a "two-man race" between Adebayo and Wembanyama for DPOY.
"These next six weeks, if we can really defend the way we've been defending the last month, then I think it's a two-man race in the Defensive Player of the Year. I think it's just whatever flavor you like," Spoelstra said to ClutchPoints.
"They've won at an extremely high level, San Antonio, and their defense has been consistently a notch above ours, but we're starting to catch them in that," Spoelstra continued. "But it just depends on what flavor you like, a unicorn shot blocker that totally changes everything in the paint, or a unicorn one-through-five that can do any scheme in this league. And this showcasing, you know, real unique ability to impact the game defensively."
At any rate, the main focus for Adebayo and Spoelstra is to cap off the season on a positive note and avoid the play-in tournament, as entering Monday's game against the Spurs and Wembanyama, Miami is 38-33, putting them ninth in the East.
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