Though 2025-26 was Deni Avdija's breakout season, he unfortunately wasn't the same level of player towards the end of it. Avdija, the Portland Trail Blazers' first All-Star since Damian Lillard, dealt with a lingering lower back injury that affected both his availability and on-court production.
That injury has even shaped decisions this summer, as the Blazers weren't willing to risk his health by playing for Israel. Avdija's national team was recently eliminated from 2027 FIBA World Cup contention after an 85-70 loss to Latvia in the second round of the European Qualifiers.
Back injury costs Deni Avdija a summer playing for Israel
Avdija recently discussed his "complex back injury" on his Instagram account, addressing criticism surrounding his inability to show up for Israel's national team:
"This time, I wanted to be there just as much. But this summer I dealt with a complex back injury. An injury that those who haven't gone through it really can't understand what it demands, and the decision not to participate in this window wasn't one I made alone," Avdija said. "Portland wasn't willing to take a risk with my health, and in the situation that arose, I simply didn't have the option to step up and play."
He also expressed his eagerness to play for Israel again in the future, looking forward to getting healthy and back out on the court.
As Blazers insider Sean Highkin pointed out on X, it's not necessarily a red flag that the Blazers wouldn't allow Avdija to play, especially in a non-World Cup year. Still, it does raise the non-zero chance that his back remains a lingering issue for Portland.
Maybe we find out down the line that Deni's back is completely cooked but I don't think it's a big deal at all that the Blazers wouldn't sign off on him playing for the national team in a non-World Cup/Olympic year to be safe, after how much the back gave him trouble last year.
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) September 1, 2026
Can Deni Avdija to return to form for Portland?
The drop-off in production between pre- and post-injury for Avdija was notable. Specifically, lower back issues were preventing him from getting the necessary lift required on his three-point shot. We saw his three-point efficiency decrease from 34.6 percent in 46 games pre-All-Star Break, compared to just 23.5 percent in 20 games after.
He impressively was able to maintain well-rounded numbers in large part thanks to the high floor that comes from his ability to get to the charity stripe. Still, for a Blazers offense where three-point shooting has been this team's fatal flaw for multiple seasons, having their new All-Star suddenly losing his ability to shoot due to injury was not ideal timing.
Who knows, maybe the Blazers even push the San Antonio Spurs deep into the first round with a healthy Avdija, seeing as they blew leads in multiple games throughout what turned out to be a competitive but short five-game series.
But for Portland, the larger concern is how this injury continues to impact them going forward. Hopefully, the offseason rest gives Avdija the time to return to his pre-All-Star form, a version Portland desperately needs if they want to have any shot at a playoff run.
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