The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 127-113, giving them a 33-43 record on the season. The lack of available playmakers was a concern heading into the matchup, with Scoot Henderson (concussion) and Anfernee Simons (forearm) sidelined with injuries. That didn't stop the Blazers from recording one of their highest point totals of the season.
A significant reason their offense remained intact was their emerging star, Deni Avdija. He carried over his red-hot March into April with 32 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, and two steals on 11-of-21 shooting from the field.
Deni Avdija joins elite company
Avdija joins Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum, and Jimmy Butler as the only players to have games this season with at least 30 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists, as Underdog NBA points out. Jokic has impressively done it five times this season, but even accomplishing it once is a rare feat that showcases how unique of a talent Avdija is for the Blazers.
This may be the first time Avdija has met this specific threshold this season, but star-level performances have become a much more common occurrence lately. Since the All-Star break, Avdija is averaging 22.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. It's been a large enough sample size that we can say Avdija has officially turned a corner in Portland.
One area of Avdija's game that some may nitpick is his turnovers. He had seven against the Hawks and is averaging 2.6 on the season. But Billups is doing the right thing by giving Avdija the green light and living with both the good and the bad results that come from his aggressive style of play.
Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report shared this quote from Billups about Avdija back in late January:
“To be a good playmaker, you have to be aggressive,” Billups said. “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.”
That quote applies now more than ever because the Blazers are finally reaping the rewards from patiently letting Avdjia grow with his mistakes. He does need to cut down on the turnovers, which will come with more playmaking experience.
But this game -- and that particular stat -- proves why the Blazers must continue investing in him. He's placing himself among All-Stars, and if he keeps playing at this level, it's only a matter of time before he earns that status himself.