Can Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo finally win Defensive Player of the Year this season?
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 All right, good evening everybody.
00:03 My name is Jay Narmont.
00:05 I am here with Anthony Pasiola and we are here to talk about the latest with the Miami
00:09 Heat, a little bit about the Miami Dolphins and then get a little into the WNBA Finals.
00:15 So Anthony, let's just get right into it.
00:17 Absolutely.
00:19 And I mean, I'm so excited.
00:20 We're getting so close to the regular season, watching real Miami Heat basketball.
00:25 But in the meantime, we've got some pretty exciting preseason games.
00:28 I mean, you've had the Heat versus the Grizzlies and the Heat versus the Spurs since we last
00:32 spoke.
00:33 And, you know, starting with the Spurs, since they played them first, that was our first
00:37 loss of the preseason and our only loss till now.
00:40 And I mean, Victor Webinyama, I thought just really looked good.
00:44 What were your initial thoughts with that game?
00:46 Yeah, I was watching it.
00:48 It was like he was just kind of doing whatever he wanted on the court.
00:52 The Spurs had the worst defense in the league last year.
00:55 So it's not just, you know, what does he bring offensively, but also what does he bring on
00:59 the defensive end?
01:00 And you saw, I think he had three blocks in addition to his 23 points.
01:05 So that that two way playmaking is definitely going to help them in the long run.
01:11 Yeah, and obviously, I mean, Miami's not going into that game fully healthy.
01:15 They've been dealing with a ton of injuries during preseason, whether they're serious
01:19 or not is up for debate.
01:21 But regardless, not everybody was playing.
01:24 But I mean, as you spoke with Webinyama, it feels like the only thing slowing him down
01:28 at this point is injuries.
01:30 Right.
01:31 Yeah.
01:32 And definitely, you know, he could afford to put a little muscle on just because, you
01:37 know, even for his height, he is kind of a skinnier build.
01:40 So, you know, I think that's why they wanted to put him in the power forward position instead
01:45 of being a center, because when he's matching up against guys like Jokic and Embiid, he
01:49 has that height.
01:50 But, you know, obviously he would probably get like I want to say bullied, but like,
01:55 you know what I mean?
01:56 Like they just have the size advantage.
01:57 Definitely, definitely.
01:58 And kind of kind of looking on almost the opposite of that in the Grizzlies game.
02:05 I mean, Bam Adebayo was just killing Jaron Jackson Jr.
02:08 I mean, he had four blocks just looked really good all around.
02:12 I mean, he's he's the opposite of Webinyama.
02:15 He's only six foot nine.
02:16 Right.
02:17 Yeah.
02:18 So it's very good to see because he also had 26 points.
02:22 So, you know, that that two way playmaking that made him an all star last season, I argue
02:27 he should have been an all star in what was it, the 2021-22 season.
02:32 But, you know, he was fairly injured that year.
02:35 But it's that that two way playmaking that always sets him apart.
02:41 And, you know, like fans in the comments were talking about, like, you know, he should have
02:45 been the defensive player of the year over Jaron Jackson Jr. and they, you know, just
02:49 trash talking.
02:50 So it was like kind of funny to see that.
02:53 And I actually saw a stat earlier today that he's the only player in the league to make
02:57 a defensive team the last four straight seasons, which I thought was pretty interesting.
03:02 So, I mean, entering his fifth year, do you think he does get it done and win defense
03:06 player of the year?
03:08 I think he could.
03:10 I would have really expected him to if we did get Damian Lillard, because that way he
03:15 didn't he wouldn't have to focus so much on the offensive presence.
03:18 He could focus solely on defense and rebounding.
03:21 But I think he's got a pretty good shot.
03:23 I mean, outside of Jaron Jackson, you know, who's obviously the reigning defensive player
03:28 of the year.
03:29 And then, you know, Giannis, maybe Brooke Lopez, you know, I mean, he has a shot over
03:36 all of those guys.
03:37 Evan Mobley, you know.
03:39 Yeah, I mean, I think he has maybe even the best chance out of all of those guys, maybe
03:45 outside of Giannis.
03:46 But, you know, transitioning kind of over to that offensive value.
03:51 I mean, Tyler Hero scored 30 points in 30 minutes against the Grizzlies.
03:55 So he I think he's kind of looking to be that guy for Bam so he can focus on his defense.
04:02 Do you think he can do that?
04:04 I think he can.
04:06 I think Hero's very motivated this year.
04:10 I was just writing an article like a couple of minutes ago about his interview with The
04:14 Athletic where he was talking about like people say I couldn't average 20 points per game.
04:20 And then when I started averaging 20 points per game, it's oh, all he can do is score
04:24 and he can't rebound or he can't play defense.
04:27 He can't he doesn't facilitate the court.
04:29 So I think he's looking every year to improve.
04:33 This was his first full year as a starter.
04:35 And I think, again, like we always say, people get the misconception that because they went
04:41 to the finals without him, that he has like no value to the Heat.
04:44 But if he were on the team, I think we would have had a much better shot against the Nuggets.
04:51 And like, yes, we got to the finals without him.
04:54 But that doesn't mean that we don't need him.
04:57 Exactly.
04:58 I mean, I feel like his value is just still being diminished.
05:02 It doesn't feel like anything he does makes a difference at this point.
05:07 He could score 50 and it feels like people would still find a way to discredit that.
05:12 But to me, I think it really comes down to his efficiency.
05:16 I mean, he's been a very streaky player so far in his career.
05:20 So if he wants to be that number two guy on a consistent basis, so Bam can focus on the
05:26 defensive side of the ball, I think he needs to become more efficient.
05:30 I completely agree with that.
05:32 I remember last season, like his statistics against teams that were like 500 or above
05:38 weren't that great.
05:39 So he needs to do better at that.
05:41 Obviously he needs to play better in the playoffs.
05:44 But talking a little bit more about the offensive production, Thomas Bryant had another good
05:50 game off the bench.
05:51 So like, I mean, that when we talk about front court scoring, we talked about this a little
05:57 bit last week.
05:58 I mean, he's been very good.
06:01 And obviously I don't know if we put him in the starting lineup just yet, but it's good
06:06 to have that reassurance that he can come off the bench at that power forward or that
06:10 center position.
06:11 Yeah, it's definitely something we were lacking last season, a little bit at least.
06:17 And right now the Heat are sitting at two and one in the preseason.
06:20 And a lot of that is thanks to Duncan Robinson, who was essentially the sole reason they beat
06:25 the Grizzlies earlier this week.
06:27 I mean, eight points in the fourth quarter alone just looked really good out there in
06:32 the fourth quarter.
06:33 What were your thoughts of his performance?
06:36 It's very good to see.
06:38 I've always rooted for Duncan Robinson.
06:40 I just think that he needs to do a little bit better when it comes to consistency.
06:45 You know, he'll have 26 and then he'll have three.
06:48 So like, if he can get that a little bit more consistent, I think that he could, you know,
06:54 get back to that standard that we held him to in 2021, where he was like averaging 13
07:00 and he was like one of the best three point shooters in the league.
07:03 Yeah, I mean, I completely agree.
07:06 I don't think really much more needs to be said on it.
07:09 He really just it comes down to consistency with him.
07:12 Right.
07:14 And you know, as of right now, when we're recording this, the Heat and the Nets are
07:17 playing in the preseason.
07:19 I mean, Miami's without Hero, without Butler, without Caleb Martin.
07:24 But you have any predictions for this game while it's going on?
07:27 Let me check the score real quick.
07:29 Oh, OK.
07:30 So the Nets have cut it to five.
07:31 They were just the Heat were just up by like 13.
07:34 Yeah, I mean, I know Bam's in the lineup.
07:38 They're probably not going to pull it like play him the full game.
07:42 So it's going to be interesting to see what Haywood, Highsmith and I think Jamal is Jamal
07:47 Kane playing tonight?
07:49 Yes.
07:50 Yeah.
07:51 So I would like to see what they do.
07:52 They're kind of like the the three, four guys that, you know, kind of three and D type of
07:57 guys.
07:58 Jamal Kane, he balled out against the Spurs, even though we lost.
08:02 He had like 24 points.
08:04 So, you know, seeing if he can continue that and then seeing what Haywood, Highsmith can
08:08 do, you know, if he improves offensively, because he was a very good defender last season,
08:14 especially against Jason Tatum in the playoffs.
08:16 But, you know, can he be that that two way guy that he'd always look for?
08:21 Yeah.
08:22 And for me, I mean, so far in the preseason, Cole Swider and Jamal Kane have both had big
08:26 games.
08:27 And I actually sent out a tweet earlier about this that I mean, I'm curious to see if Nikola
08:32 Jovic is going to have one of these games where he kind of goes off for 20 plus points
08:36 on really solid shooting.
08:38 Like we saw he had that one performance in the World Cup.
08:41 I would like to see one of those out of him in the preseason.
08:45 Most definitely, because I mean, we haven't seen a whole lot from him yet, and that's
08:50 expected out of a rookie.
08:52 But yeah, I mean, with so much depth at that, you know, kind of small forward position,
08:59 obviously, he'd be at the four.
09:00 But, you know, now we got Thomas Bryan and depending on where he sits in there, you know,
09:07 Nikola Jovic is going to have to kind of prove himself and prove that he belongs in that
09:13 second unit.
09:15 I agree.
09:16 And wrapping up this segment on the heat, you know, my final score prediction for this
09:20 game, I might as well give it so we can see later on.
09:24 I'll go with 105.99 to the heat.
09:27 OK, I think it'll be a little bit higher scoring than that.
09:30 I'd say probably 114 to 110 Miami.
09:35 Yeah, and I guess we'll just have to wait and see when this episode comes out, you guys.
09:40 Yeah.
09:42 But transitioning over to the NFL and the Dolphins specifically had a really solid week
09:48 against the Panthers.
09:49 I mean, can't expect them to not when the Panthers are were 0 and 5, now 0 and 6.
09:55 They did get off to a really slow start, though, down 14-0 at one point.
10:01 What was going through your mind when we were losing like that?
10:03 Oh, I mean, at first, like it did kind of worry me because, like you said, we went down
10:08 14 to nothing in the first quarter.
10:10 But I mean, with an offense like this that can just explode at any minute, I mean, it's
10:17 just like it's just ridiculous how they can just snap and then boom.
10:23 Now you're down, you know, 14 before you even know it.
10:27 And then that turns into 42 points.
10:30 Yeah, and you got to give a lot of credit to Raheem Mostert.
10:34 I mean, no Devon Achan this week just went on the IR and he still managed to put up,
10:39 I believe it was three touchdowns, if I'm not mistaken.
10:42 I mean, to do that as the only real rusher in the backfield was extremely impressive.
10:48 Right.
10:49 And I think that showing like the multiple dimensions of this offense, it's not just,
10:54 you know, screens to fast receivers and they're, you know, taking it to the house.
10:59 It is those deep passes.
11:01 It's those short passes.
11:02 It's now the running game is coming in.
11:04 So they're just such a multifaceted offense.
11:07 And I think that's why they're so dangerous.
11:10 And you know, speaking of those deep passes, they're facing Philadelphia in this upcoming
11:15 week whose secondary is extremely weak right now, you know, just with different injuries,
11:21 different losses in the offseason.
11:23 What do you expect out of that game?
11:26 I think the Eagles are definitely I think the loss of the Jets was a wake up call.
11:31 They lost against a team, a good defense, but were without DJ Reed and Soss Gardner.
11:37 So, you know, I think Jalen Hurts is going to look for redemption.
11:41 He threw three interceptions.
11:42 That's not a good game.
11:43 He hasn't been playing that well this year either.
11:46 And so we're kind of just looking at the Eagles who are five and one.
11:50 But, you know, you kind of look and you're like, they're like still kind of shaky team,
11:54 not really giving a lot of confidence to their fans right now.
11:59 So I think that they're going to have a bounce back week and Miami needs to be prepared for
12:03 it.
12:04 Yeah, I mean, and we talk about that week secondary, but let's not diminish their run
12:09 defense.
12:10 I mean, it's among the best in the league almost every week.
12:13 So I think they are going to have to rely pretty heavily on Tyree Kill and Jalen Waddle
12:18 to produce with, you know, I don't want to say their run game is going to be completely
12:23 shut down, but it'll certainly be worse than other weeks.
12:27 Definitely.
12:28 And, you know, that pass rush too is going to have to get it out quick.
12:31 And that's the benefit of having, you know, those speedy wide receivers so that you don't
12:34 have to have a whole lot of time in the pocket.
12:36 You can just throw a little slant route or something like that and they'll take it the
12:41 distance.
12:42 But, yeah, I mean, Tua's definitely going to have, I think, aside, well, yeah, aside
12:49 from the bills, this is going to be his most formidable opponent.
12:52 So it's going to be interesting to see how he stacks up.
12:57 And I think I think it'll be a really tough matchup.
13:00 And, you know, I love the balanced aspect of the Eagles from offensive line to special
13:05 teams to defense, whatever it may be.
13:07 But as you spoke of that, those speedy wide receivers, they get open so fast.
13:12 So I think that's really going to hurt the Eagles.
13:15 Definitely.
13:17 But did you see that the Eagles just signed Julio Jones?
13:20 I did see that, you know, I'm I'm not the biggest Julio guy at this point in his career.
13:26 I really didn't get in the NFL much when he was in his prime.
13:30 But you know, I saw him last year in Tennessee and I I didn't think much of him.
13:35 No.
13:36 Yeah.
13:37 As a as a partial Titans fan, he didn't really do anything that excited me, even when he
13:40 went to Tampa Bay, but like barely anything.
13:44 So I think he'll be decent as the third option, but he's definitely not the Julio Jones of
13:50 the past.
13:52 And I mean, Dallas Goddard kind of typically fills in as that third receiver type role
13:58 because he really doesn't block much.
14:00 But I think Julio does provide that big play ability still at this point in his career.
14:06 Definitely.
14:07 And then when you got DeAndre Swift in the backfield who can you know, he's been staying
14:12 pretty healthy this year, which has been a problem with him in Detroit.
14:15 But you know, he can he's obviously a very good rusher and he can also catch passes out
14:21 the backfield.
14:22 So, you know, I think Miami is going to have their work cut out for them.
14:27 Yeah.
14:28 And moving over to the WNBA, we got the finals, the Aces versus the Liberty and Game 4 is
14:35 coming up.
14:36 I mean, we got a couple of big headlines in this game.
14:39 You want to speak on those?
14:40 Yeah.
14:41 So first off, Chelsea Gray is out, which is huge for the Aces.
14:46 I mean, you talk about like the heart and soul of the team at the point guard position.
14:51 I mean, that's going to help or that's going to hurt them so much, not only with her scoring,
14:56 but like her facilitating.
14:59 So yeah, that's going to be huge for them.
15:01 It's going to be interesting to see how Asia Wilson rebounds after that, because they already
15:07 are missing Candace Parker.
15:10 So they couldn't afford another big loss like that.
15:12 You know, in order for Las Vegas to pull them out, Asia Wilson is going to need to be good.
15:17 Kelsey Plum is going to need to do her thing again.
15:20 Jackie Young is going to need to do much better, which she played really well the first two
15:24 games, but she only had eight points in Game 3.
15:27 So she's going to need to obviously step up her role.
15:31 Aside from that, John Quayle Jones looked really good.
15:34 Twenty seven points.
15:36 I think she had three blocks and eight rebounds.
15:39 She shot four of seven from three point range, which is I mean, I've never seen her shoot
15:46 threes like that.
15:47 So, you know, I think the Liberty this this series has really started to swing.
15:52 I mean, they were one game away from losing the whole thing.
15:55 And now with Chelsea Gray being injured, John Quayle Jones playing the way she has, if Sabrina
16:00 Inescu can step up, I think New York has a chance to pull off the comeback.
16:05 Yeah, definitely.
16:07 I agree.
16:08 So that wraps up everything for today, unless you have any final thoughts, Eugene.
16:13 I did want to add I forgot to get into this.
16:16 Drew Smith has been playing very, very bad.
16:20 So that's that's obviously not reassuring for the backcourt depth off the bench.
16:28 He was 0 of 6 in the Spurs.
16:30 I think it was the Spurs game.
16:32 0 of 6, five fouls and three turnovers.
16:36 In the next game, he went 5 of 10 for three fouls and five turnovers.
16:40 So, you know, do you think the Miami Heat maybe move on from him?
16:47 I definitely could see it, especially with the way some of these other exhibit 10 and
16:52 two way guys have been playing like Cole Swider.
16:55 You know, they only have 15 roster spots.
16:58 And I think he would really have to start showing stuff in the rest of preseason if
17:01 he does want one of those spots.
17:03 I mean, as we're speaking of this, he is actually playing a pretty solid game against the Nets.
17:08 He's got five points and five assists right now.
17:11 That's promising to see, you know, starting to pick things up maybe at least a little
17:15 bit with the playmaking.
17:16 But, you know, I really think it's going to be one of those situations where it comes
17:20 down to what he does.
17:22 Definitely.
17:23 Yeah, I didn't want to like slander him or anything, but I just I forgot to mention that
17:27 earlier and I did want to talk about that, like just emphasizing the need to improve.
17:32 Yeah, I completely agree.
17:34 Like you said, with guys like Cole Swider are playing really good basketball and they
17:39 look like those guys that we were used to seeing the Miami Heat bring in that just come
17:44 out of nowhere and start impressing.
17:46 So he needs to find his way into one of them.
17:49 Right, definitely.
17:50 And with a starting backcourt of Tyler Hero and probably Jay Rich, then you got Duncan
17:56 Robinson and Cole Swider.
17:58 You know, Drew Smith is going to need to find his way in that that backcourt.
18:01 Yeah, the opportunity is definitely there if he can capitalize.
18:06 Definitely.
18:07 But, I mean, you know, with those final thoughts out of the way, we'll have to wait till next
18:12 week to see what happens with the Heat and the Nets.
18:14 And that's all I got for you today.
18:16 Yes, all I got to thank you all for listening.
18:19 We'll see you next week.
18:20 [BLANK_AUDIO]