MIAMI – With Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo amidst a dominant stretch in an effort to lead his team out of the play-in tournament, his name has always been mentioned as one of the NBA's premier defenders. Though Adebayo has been reaching Heat milestones, the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) is the one honor that has alluded him, with head coach Erik Spoelstra making the case for him winning this season.
While no one doubts Adebayo's elite defensive ability, there is likely the belief that San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembenyama is the favorite. For Spoelstra, what helps get the recognition for various league honors is winning games, as he believes is the case for Adebayo, who sees it as a “two-man race” for DPOY.
With San Antonio at a 47-17 record, second in the West, there's no denying Wembanyama's impact on both sides of the ball, especially defense. Spoelstra believes it depends on “whatever flavor” a person prefers, making the case for both defensive ‘unicorns.'
“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.”
Asked Erik Spoelstra on Jaime Jaquez Jr. 6MOY chances and if winning has an impact, would say he should be the winner and W’s does change the conversation.
Would also mention the same about Bam Adebayo, and how it could be a two-man race for DPOY with Wemby. #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/8ORCzHkhZu
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 10, 2026
Heat's Jaime Jaquez Jr. is also up for an award
Young Heat star Jaime Jaquez Jr. is another who has improved and is up for an award, as he's been one of the leading names for Sixth Man of the Year. However, the talks around him and the honor have fluctuated as, after being the favorite towards the earlier parts of the season, he's now behind some names like Minnesota Timberwolves' Naz Reid and Houston Rockets' Reed Sheppard, via BetMGM.
Now, with Miami finding its groove and Jaquez continuing his impressive year after a sophomore slump in the season prior, Spoelstra believes that he should win the award, and winning is also a factor in attention.
“I think he should be the sixth man of the year,” Spoelsta said to ClutchPoints. “I think when we're middling around at around .500, nobody was paying attention, I think beginning of the year, everybody was talking about it. And my point to the team, all of a sudden we're not winning at a high level, nobody's paying attention to it, and there's other guys being mentioned for that. And then all of a sudden, we're starting to win again right now.”
“We're not doing winning enough right now,” Spoelstra continued. “But if we continue with that, then I think he would naturally get recognized for that.”
At any rate, it remains to be seen if Adebayo or Jaquez will win the awards they're up for, but the main goal is to keep winning games, as entering Tuesday's game against the Washington Wizards, the Heat are 36-29, seventh in the Eastern Conference.
