Deni Avdija just had a career-high 196 turnovers in his first season with the Portland Trail Blazers. He's also coming off the best season of his career, averaging 16.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on 48/37/78 shooting splits.
These seemingly contradictory outcomes show that the Blazers realized something early on that the Washington Wizards never seemed to fully embrace. Portland is allowing Avdija the freedom to be himself as a player, living with the highs and lows that come with his aggressive, downhill, and sometimes reckless style of play.
Blazers embraced Deni Avdija's growing pains
Credit head coach Chauncey Billups for encouraging this aspect of Avdija's game and recognizing it as a necessary part of the growing pains rather than a problem that must be addressed by diminishing Avdija's role.
"To be a good playmaker, you have to be aggressive," Billups said, via Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. "You have to play with force. Until you break the first seal of the defense, they haven't had to rotate. They haven't had to pull triggers anywhere. He's so good at getting to the paint. And when you get there, most defenses become undisciplined at that point, and then you're able to make plays. Deni's had some games … he had 10 turnovers one time. These are positions he hadn't been in before. You fall and bump your head a few times before you can learn. Now, this thing is kind of slowing down for him where he's able to make some of those plays."
Avdija had the highest usage rate of his career (23.1) in his first season with Portland, and his role as a point forward only continued to increase as the season wore on. With Anfernee Simons' combo guard skillset now out of the equation, Portland could rely on Avdija even more as a primary offensive initiator.
Only a handful of players in the league share the same traits as Avdija. He's a 6-foot-9 wing who can be utilized as a jumbo guard with his rare combination of ballhandling, court vision, shooting, speed, and physicality.
At 24 years old, Deni is a rising star who also happens to be on arguably the most team-friendly deal in the league. He emerged as the Blazers' best player last season and is someone they need to continue making an offensive priority in a way the Wizards never did. Portland is still years away from being a legitimate contender and can afford to endure the growing pains necessary for Avdija to reach his All-Star ceiling.