50 June 22-28, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times b e s T o f m i a m i ® 2 0 2 3 the first time in his career and scored 38 points in a single game on multiple occasions. Adebayo — clearly a power forward playing center his entire career in the NBA — contin- ues to dominate on a nightly basis against men much heavier and often taller than he is. This is not only a testament to his talents but his willingness to accept a challenge for the good of the team. While the team as a whole didn’t have the regular season it would have hoped, Adebayo continued his ascent to becoming not only one of the top players in the NBA but securing his spot on the Mount Rushmore of all-time-best Miami Heat players — right next to “Himmy” Butler! B E S T M I A M I M A R L I N S P L AY E R Luis Arráez marlins.com @arraezluis (Instagram) Not every offseason a baseball team can trade for the prior year’s reigning batting champion, but that’s what the Miami Marlins did when they swapped pitcher Pablo Lopez to the Min- nesota Twins for Luis Arráez. After hitting .316 to top the American League, all Arráez has done in his first 50 games as a Marlin was to sport an eye-popping .371 batting average to lead all of Major League Baseball by a long shot. In April, Arráez became the first Marlins player to hit for the cycle, swatting a single, double, triple, and home run in a single game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Not too shabby at all. Already armed with undeniably strong starting pitching, the Marlins desper- ately needed a stellar bat in the lineup — and they got one. B E S T I N T E R M I A M I C F P L AY E R DeAndre Yedlin intermiamicf.com @yedlinny (Instagram) Every successful sports team has at least one player who might not jump off the stat sheet after the game but is just as vital to the team’s success as those who get treated to the Gato- rade bath. For Inter Miami, DeAndre Yedlin is that lesser-celebrated but just as important cog in the greater machine. A U.S. Men’s Na- tional Soccer Team veteran, Yedlin is no stranger to big games that call for steady de- fenders capable of adhering themselves to the opponent’s lead striker. Since joining Inter Miami in 2022, Yedlin has delivered that steady foot and then some. In 2022, Yedlin was named to the MLS All-Star team, becoming one of the league’s 26 best players. He’s since solidified his role as a team leader who has seen it all and is prepared to share his experi- ence as the team competes for a title. You might call Yedlin the Udonis Haslem of Inter Miami — an accolade that should make any lo- cal sports star proud. B E S T M I A M I D O L P H I N S P L AY E R Tyreek Hill miamidolphins.com @cheetah (Instagram, Twitter) In order to acquire wide receiver Tyreek Hill last offseason, the Miami Dolphins bet the farm (or, in this case, precious draft picks) to the Kansas City Chiefs. It paid off: In 2023, Hill casually broke Dolphins franchise records for receiving yards (1,710) and receptions (119). Hill wasn’t merely the best player on the Dol- phins last season; he was the best wide re- ceiver in all of football. That might be quite the honor for most Dolphins football players, but for Hill, it’s just another year on a résumé that seems destined for the Hall of Fame. From striking fear into the souls of opposing de- fenses to bringing swagger back to the Dol- phins’ locker room, Hill might be only five-foot-ten, but he stands head and shoul- ders above the competition. B E S T T E A M OW N E R Stephen Ross Miami Dolphins miamidolphins.com To say Stephen Ross’ tenure as owner of the Miami Dolphins was tumultuous would be a gross understatement. It was rockier than South Pointe Pier. But as in life, sports offer re- demption for those who pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and get it right. Granting final authority to general manager Chris Grier at last and then hitting the bull’s eye with the Mike McDaniel head-coach hire could very well flip the script on Ross’ current NFL owner narrative. (Which, let’s face it, could do with a hard 180.) Those moves, coupled with the team’s fearless pursuit of big-time players (see “Best Dolphins Player”), are helping to re- calibrate the franchise’s algorithm. As far as he is from perfect, you have to give Stephen Ross credit when it’s due: The past 12 months have yielded the sort of trajectory that might lead to a Super Bowl parade if you squint just right. It’d be the first one in 50 years. B E S T COAC H Jim Larrañaga University of Miami miamihurricanes.com/sports/mbball Jim Larrañaga was a hall-of-fame coaching legend before he took the Miami Hurricanes to the Final Four in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament (AKA March Madness) in 2023. We’re here to report that he’s now achieved statue-in-front-of-the- arena status. Going 29-8 and winning the ACC are commendable feats for anyone who as- pires to the honor of being chosen Miami New Times’ “Best Coach,” but making those accom- plishments a jumping-off point for a Final Four run ends the discussion. It isn’t just the Xs and Os that make Larrañaga a great coach; it’s his direct impact on the players in the Hur- ricanes’ locker room. His presence alone causes each player to achieve their best. From TikTok dances after wins to pep talks after losses, it’s tough to envision a coach better suited to lead young men. B E S T CO L L E G E F O OT B A L L P L AY E R Lou Hedley neworleanssaints.com @louhedley94 (Instagram) Punters have a lousy marketing team. Most people associate punters with failure, but it’s not their fault that their appearance in a game is the result of failures by their team’s offense. In reality, they’re a key piece of the 3D chess puzzle transpiring between the sidelines. For the Miami Hurricanes, punter Lou Hedley has been a secret weapon for years — and one they’ll likely miss as he moves on to the NFL next season. Hedley averaged a brow-raising 45.3 yards per punt for the ’Canes last season, making him a semifinalist for a Ray Guy Award and the William V. Campbell Trophy for scholar-athletes. If that wasn’t enough, Hedley is 29 years old. He earned his master’s degree, then forfeited a year of eligibility to de- clare for the draft — a trajectory almost un- heard of for a punter. Oh, and he’s tattooed from head to toe and hails from Mandurrah, a town on the western coast of Australia. Hedley wasn’t selected in April’s NFL Draft, but the New Orleans Saints snagged him as an un- drafted free agent. Sports & Recreation
