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Top 5 biggest snubs from the 2021-22 All-NBA Teams

By Holden Walter-Warner

MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 19: Bam Adebayo #13 and Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat look on against the Atlanta Hawks during the fourth quarter in Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round at FTX Arena on April 19, 2022 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 19: Bam Adebayo #13 and Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat look on against the Atlanta Hawks during the fourth quarter in Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round at FTX Arena on April 19, 2022 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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All-NBA Teams
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – NOVEMBER 24: Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves quarter of the game at Target Center on November 24, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Heat 113-101, Top 5 biggest snubs from the 2021-22 All-NBA Teams. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /

Top 5 biggest snubs from the 2021-22 All-NBA Teams: 3. Bam Adebayo

At the stacked center position, it’s not a surprise Bam Adebayo didn’t make it onto an All-NBA team, but he did have a legitimate case for inclusion.

This was the best season of Adebayo’s career. He averaged a double-double for the second time, posting an average of 19.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. The points were the best of his career.

Adebayo also flashed some stealing skills this season. The center has averaged at least one steal per game in each of the past three seasons, but this season proved to be the apex of his thievery, averaging 1.4 steals per game.

His importance on the offensive end is growing. Adebayo’s usage percentage this season was 25 percent. Meanwhile, he’s working on cutting down on turnovers, dropping his turnover percentage to 14.4 percent.

Part of Adebayo’s improvement on the turnover front is his avoidance of sloppy passing. In 2019-20, he had 94 bad passes lead to turnovers, then 82 the following season. This year, however, he was down to only 59 bad passes.

Adebayo is one of the best defensive players in the league, even if the stats don’t always jump off the page. He’s finished in the top 15 for defensive win shares in each of the past three seasons and made the All-Defensive Second Team each of those years as well. His 104.2 defensive rating this season ranked third.

The big man may never be as much of a scoring threat as Jokic, Embiid, or Towns, but his contributions on the defensive end are all the Miami Heat really need from him. If he keeps improving on offense, All-NBA should be in the 24-year-old’s future.