For the vast majority of the 2020 NBA Draft class, the pandemic has put a pause on their respective quests to improve their standing in the eyes of NBA scouts and executives. But overseas, where the Israeli Premier League has been off the ground nearly a month, wunderkind Deni Avdija is quietly-but-consistently playing his way into a stock surge.
It’s not by happenstance. The Israeli-born Avdija and his Maccabi Tel Aviv club were off more than three months as the pandemic gripped the globe and the region, suspending play. Avdija seized the moment. He worked out twice daily during the layoff — including 6 a.m.-sharp workouts to start the day — and put in countless hours trying to improve his shot and his overall strength level.
The result thus far in seven games back has given Maccabi Tel Aviv a different player. Avdija, who is projected to go No. 3 in my latest NBA Mock Draft, returned more polished, more physical and seemingly more prepared than ever for the inevitable leap to the NBA next season.
He’s not only secured a starting spot — after coming off the bench prior to the pandemic — but he’s deservedly kept it. No longer is he in a reserve role, he’s an integral part of Maccabi Tel Aviv’s success, averaging 17.3 points, 6.6 boards and 3.3 rebounds per game.
His production is as promising as his progress. Avdija has long been an NBA prospect because of his size, skill level and playmaking ability for a prospect at his position, but the scouting report on him has always been trailed with a buuut: Yes, he can do all of those things at a high level, buuut can he knock down 3-point shots? Can he consistently be a threat as a shooter? Even as good as he is as a jumbo point forward with playmaking chops, projecting his game has limitations if he can’t develop a more reliable jumper.
“His basketball IQ, off the charts,” CBS Sports basketball analyst Tim Doyle said of Avdija in May. “I believe he’s a top five talent. He has a great feel for the game, excellent passer. His swing [skill] will be ‘can he make shots?'” If he becomes a capable shooter, he can be a really good player.”
“Can be” is a thing of the past now. Avdija is a really good player, period. The time and energy he spent during the pandemic-prompted off time dedicating himself to improving as a shooter and becoming more physically imposing is paying dividends more immediately than anticipated.
He’s been a sub-35% 3-point shooter for his career and sub-60% free throw shooter, yet since his return, he’s shooting 41% from deep (16 of 39), 54% from the floor (42 of 78), and 72% from the charity stripe (21 of 29).
Avdija’s selling point is his versatile style of play. He can stop and pop from deep, but he really excels with the ball in his hands. Since his return he’s been enabled to really showcase that aspect of his game by attacking closeouts, finishing at the rim and creating — and it’s come natural for him. It’s nothing new, but it’s been an extended highlight-reel of what he can bring to the NBA as a 6-foot-9 Swiss Army knife offensive weapon.
Avdija’s breakout has been a small-sample surge, but regardless of how he finishes the season, his improvement in the areas he needed to most improve on prior to the draft has answered some important questions about how he’ll fit in at the NBA level.
