ESPN acknowledges the obvious about Miami Heat Olympian

Just listen to how Spoelstra spoke of Adebayo on Monday after practice:

“There’s no question about it, this year, as much as any, he’s proven he should be in consideration for Defensive Player of the Year. He’s defended in every scheme at the highest level."Spoelstra

So, yes, ESPN's Zach Kram is correct in assuming that Adebayo will be on the USA's final 12-man roster in Los Angeles in 2028, should he want to be. In an article posted on ESPN.com on Monday, Kram had this to say about Adebayo and the field.

This positional grouping might feature the most changes between 2024 and 2028. The three big men from Team USA's roster in Paris will all be in their 30s by 2028 -- Bam Adebayo (30), Joel Embiid (34) and Anthony Davis (35) -- and small-ball center options Durant and James are even older.....


If Embiid and Davis want to play, then Team USA might keep their spots reserved. But it's hard to predict whether either will be healthy next season, let alone 2½ years from now. Two-time gold medalist Adebayo, meanwhile, doesn't have as high a ceiling as Embiid or Davis, but he has three advantages to return to the roster: He's younger, less injury-prone and coached by Spoelstra, who has worked with him in Miami for his entire NBA career.

The next set of bigs includes the past two Americans to win Defensive Player of the Year, Evan Mobley and Jaren Jackson Jr., and the player who might join them this season, Chet Holmgren. All three are superb defenders who can space the floor on the other end, though Jackson's candidacy could be marred by his weak national team performance at the 2023 World Cup.Kram

Those three advantages for Adebayo will prove to be overwhelming, so Kram is right to put him on his final list. He has Adebayo either starting ahead of, or backing up, Holmgren. Then Kram gives Duren the third center slot, ahead of Mobley.

Adebayo would actually be one of only two 30-year-old's on the team of 12, along with Boston's Jayson Tatum; this assumes that the NBA doesn't take Kevin Durant or Stephen Curry, should either or both want to play, and Durant has recently made it clear he does. But Hill and Spoelstra may want to go younger.

Old man Adebayo? Maybe. Olympian Adebayo is a given, however, as long as Spoelstra is on the sideline.

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