Deni Avdija emerged as the go-to option for the Portland Trail Blazers down the stretch of the 2024-25 season. In his 20 games following the All-Star break, Avdija averaged 23.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. Those borderline All-Star numbers will continue into next season, especially after Portland's summer moves.
Avdija's role as a point-forward is something the Blazers continued investing in this offseason, primarily by subtraction with Anfernee Simons, Deandre Ayton, and to a lesser extent, Dalano Banton landing elsewhere.
Blazers invested in Deni Avdija through subtraction
Last season, Simons averaged 19.3 points on 16.1 field goal attempts per game with a usage rate of 24.6 percent (second highest on the team). Following the altered trade with the Boston Celtics, they now bring in veteran Jrue Holiday in a one-for-one swap. Holiday isn't the same high-level scorer or playmaker as the offensive-minded Simons. Both could be considered combo guards given Holiday's versatility, but his impact largely comes on the other end as a six-time NBA All-Defensive Team member.
Compare Simons' stats to Holiday's, who averaged just 11.1 points on 9.2 field goal attempts with a 15.9 percent usage rate. How much of those lackluster numbers can be attributed to Holiday having a lessened role on a championship Celtics team, and how much is due to the declining play of a 35-year-old veteran remains to be seen. Portland better hope it's the former and Holiday has some gas left in the tank because they are on the hook for his contract for three more years.
Regardless, it's apparent that Portland is now making Avdija the entire focal point of the offense.
Buying out Ayton was the other move to help solidify the offensive hierarchy. It's a similar move to what Portland accomplished with the Simons-Holiday swap. This time, they sacrifice Ayton's offense to give Donovan Clingan an increased role as a defensive anchor.
It's an individual downgrade in terms of offensive talent, but is this actually in the best interest of Portland on both ends? The Blazers' offense was way too stagnant at times, and that had a lot to do with having score-first players that were too one-dimensional, such as Ayton. Now, they bring in Clingan as the starter, who is a much better screen setter and underrated passer. Not to mention, an even better passer in first-round pick Yang Hansen, who arguably has the best court vision in the entire draft class.
Overall, the Blazers' ball movement should be much better next season. The cherry on top to bring that to fruition was letting the ball-stopping Banton walk in free agency. This is all by design for Portland. They allow their backcourt duo of Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe to have potential breakout seasons.
But it may impact Avdija most, making him the clear-cut No. 1 option to initiate the Blazers' offense.