The Portland Trail Blazers were initially criticized for their Deni Avdija trade with the Washington Wizards. The thought was that the Blazers, a rebuilding team, should not be the ones to give away draft picks and worsen their own draft position to land an established player. That's viewed as a shortsighted move that limits rebuilding ceilings, which is even riskier given how behind the Blazers are in the star department relative to the rest of the Western Conference.
What many overlooked, however, is that they already managed to land a star in that deal.
Deni Avdija is solving Portland's biggest problem
Avdija is well on track to make his first-ever All-Star appearance, having a career year in the form of 25.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists on 48/38/81 shooting splits. Other external factors should help Avdija's case as well, such as the number of injuries suffered league-wide and the format change that now requires a minimum of eight international players. Regardless, Avdija has rapidly ascended to stardom in just his second year in Portland.
The Blazers saw a glimpse of this last season, particularly down the stretch when he took on more of a point-forward role, having to initiate more of the offense as a result of key injuries. But Avdija has carried that momentum to a level the Blazers' front office could never have imagined.
He's single-handedly keeping Portland's play-in hopes alive this season, as they sit 10th in the West despite untimely injuries and a brutal schedule to start the season. They should only continue to improve their standing as the season progresses, and a large part of that is because they are no longer at a significant disadvantage in the star department.
Last year's NBA Finals showed the importance of depth, but make no mistake about it -- this is still a star-driven league. The previous five Finals winners had one of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum, Nikola Jokic, Stephen Curry, or Giannis Antetokounmpo. The list goes on, too. You need to have a top-ten player in the world on your team; the uphill path to contention becomes too steep to climb otherwise.
Avdija has ascended all the way to 40th on The Ringer's player rankings, sandwiched between Trae Young and Jaren Jackson Jr. He still has a long way to go before reaching that top ten territory we discussed, but it's also worth noting that the Blazers new star is only 24 years old!
What's next in Deni Avdija's star trajectory?
He's improving at an exponential rate and is still learning in real time how to adjust to this increased playmaking role, whether that means limiting turnovers, changing speeds, and understanding when to force the issue.
The most impressive aspect of Avdija's star ascension is that he's doing all this despite the Blazers not having an ideal supporting cast. Portland now ranks dead last in three-point efficiency. Avdija is at his best when he uses his physical 6-foot-8 frame to attack the paint, but he has consistently been met by multiple defenders because the Blazers don't have the talent to decongest the paint.
Avdija and Jerami Grant both rank in the top ten in the league for double-team percentage, and it's because Portland lacks the assets to keep defenders honest. Once they finally address this shooting concern, it will open up the entire floor for Deni and allow him to play more to his strengths; that will make it even more of a matchup nightmare for opposing teams as they'll face an actual pick-your-poison scenario.
It's fair to question what Portland's ceiling is with Avdija as their best player. It's a relative unknown because no one quite knows how good Avdija can become. No one expected this season out of him, so it's reasonable to believe there's yet another level to unlock as he reaches his prime.
The Blazers' lack of star power has been the weight hanging over what has overall been a successful rebuild. It remains to be seen whether Avdija is the answer as 1a option, but the fact that Portland even has a player in that conversation has to be refreshing for fans. It gives their rebuild a higher ceiling than ever before.