Bam Adebayo is very proud of his play on the court, and the Heat star wasn’t afraid to take a jab at a Celtics star Monday.
The Miami-Boston rivalry has persisted thanks to tough playoff matchups in the past decade. This has led to both sides taking jabs at one another.
Adebayo threw his latest shot during an interview with Bleacher Reports’ Taylor Rooks. His Heat teammate Max Strus did not agree with Smart winning NBA Defensive Player of the Year last season, and Adebayo, a three-time All-Defensive Team player, made his case.
“I guard one through five,” Adebayo said, per Bleacher Report’s video. “It’s not a lot of us: Me, Draymond (Green), Giannis (Antetokounmpo). Who else? Rudy (Gobert) can’t. … It has to translate, and I feel like Rudy in the playoffs didn’t translate. And Marcus Smart guards one through four. That’s the thing I thought was different between me and them.”
It looks like a semantics argument is in play here for Adebayo. Smart primarily doesn’t guard centers, but the Celtics’ defense isn’t in panic mode when he is switched onto one. He also can provide assistance on help defense, as seen Monday night against the New York Knicks with his block on Isaiah Hartenstein.
The NBA also has transitioned into a position-less era, where Antetokounmpo not only can guard all five positions, but he also can play all five positions.
Adebayo is a two-time All-Star, but he likely wants more praise and recognition for the work he has done to help make the Heat a contender every season. And it would not be surprising if Smart tried to make a statement the next time the Celtics take on Miami.
