Sam Vecenie and Bryce Simon re-drafted the 2020 NBA class on the Game Theory Podcast, taking Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija with the No. 6 overall selection.
Deni was originally the No. 9 overall pick by the Washington Wizards, but jumped up a few spots in retrospect due to his play since entering the league. Avdija is 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 in his first year in Portland.
Deni Avdija is a rising star flying under the radar
Vecenie highlighted Avdija's end-of-season stretch as his improved play was a primary factor in Portland surprisingly being in the conversation for a play-in spot out west.
"He was by far the biggest reason to me why they ended up making that big push to get back into a place where they won 36 games last year," Vecenie said. "The big difference between him and some of these other guys we're going to talk about: his superpower is his strength... he just moves dudes. He will put his shoulder into you and move you backwards... He's a massive human being. He's a monster in transition. He will grab defensive rebounds and lead the break. If you get him downhill, he's just really hard to deal with. He passes really well."
Deni has a unique skillset as a point forward hybrid who possesses both strength and speed. Those physical tools combined with his ballhandling, playmaking, and three-level scoring are something that few in the league can replicate, giving him star upside.
Avdija was already playing like an All-Star towards the end of last season. In his 20 games played following the All-Star break, Avdija increased his production to 23.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. He was not only finally settling into Portland's offense but also asserting himself as their No. 1 option offensively. That aggresive mentality, paired with a reliable three-point shot (41.7% during that stretch), brought Avdija on an upward trajectory. The improved shooting, in particular, was an encouraging sign that Portland's steep investment in Avdija would pay off.
"The biggest swing skill for me is his jumper," Vecenie added.
In his final two seasons with the Wizards, Avdija's three-point efficiency skyrocketed from 29.7 to 37.4%. That large a leap suggested he could regress to the mean and come back to Earth in his first season with the Blazers. That was certainly the case early on, as he shot an abmysmal 11.1% in October. But fortunately, that shot came back around, which opened up the rest of Avdija's downhill-oriented game.
Deni is just 24 years old and has already broken out, but only Blazers fans have fully realized it yet. Largely thanks to his improved shot, Avdija is a rising star who somehow remains underrated in the landscape of the league.