The Portland Trail Blazers sacrificed significant assets to land Deni Avdija this past offseason, but it's already paying off. Avdija has emerged as a valuable two-way wing, providing much-needed versatility and physicality for a Blazers team that previously lacked both.
This season, Avdija is averaging 14.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.0 steals on 46/34/76 shooting splits. He's second on the team in offensive rating (112.3) and provides a massive boost on the defensive end with his positional size and ability to guard multiple positions. His well-rounded game is the glue that holds the Blazers together, as he can fill in wherever is needed, depending on whatever the game requires at that particular moment.
Despite Avdija's impact as a two-way wing, he fell all the way to No. 94 overall in the recent release of the NBA 99 player rankings. Here is what FanSided's Lior Lampert wrote:
"The Trail Blazers wing possesses a well-rounded skillset as a playmaker and perimeter defender, and his high motor and improving offensive game makes him a malleable two-way connector. The 6-foot-9 wing is an intriguing talent who impacts winning in various ways."
Deni Avdija ranked No. 94 in the NBA 99
It's hard to find significant flaws in Avdija's well-rounded game, but one area for improvement is his consistency from beyond the arc, as Lampert mentions.
"The next step for 'Turbo' offensively is becoming a consistent 3-point shooter. He converted from beyond the arc at a 37.3 percent clip in 2023-24 and is hoping to prove that to be the norm, not his career 33 percent mark."
Lampert is spot-on about how Avdija's well-rounded game contributes to winning in multiple ways for the Blazers. The assessment is accurate, but we think Avdija's impact is still being underappreciated. A prime example of Avdija's underrated impact is that Portland added only Avdija and Clingan this offseason, yet they've already exceeded last season's 21-win total.
HoopsHype's Global Rating rankings have Avdija at No. 63 overall, closely behind Anfernee Simons (No. 60). That seems to be more accurate, as Avdija should be closer to a top 60 player in the league.
Taking it one step further, we also think Avdija is the best player on the entire Blazers' roster and should be ranked ahead of Simons, who sits at No. 79 in the NBA 99.
One NBA analyst who also believes that Avdija is underrated is Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor. On The Kevin O'Connor Show, he highlighted Avdija as one of the league's most underappreciated players.
"For me, one of them would be Deni Avdija of the Portland Trail Blazers -- versatile, all-around guy, making a lot of progress this year with the opportunity in Portland," O'Connor said.
Avdija's impact on winning will become even more evident as the Blazers' record improves in the coming seasons. His ranking should arguably already be higher, but it will only get better as the 24-year-old continues to prove his value in Portland.