BY: Tony Liebert
â Youth Career
In August 2018, Avdija participated at the Basketball Without Borders Europe camp in Belgrade, Serbia. Basketball Without Borders is a camp that takes place all over the world, and gives non-American youth players the ability to showcase their skills to American college scouts as well as sometimes NBA scouts. There has been a long list of NBA players who have attended this camp, which include:
Profesional Career
In November 2017, Avdija started his professional career with Maccabi Tel Aviv, signing a six-year deal with the club. On November 19, 2017, he made his professional debut against Ironi Nes Ziona. Avdija played three minutes and became the youngest player ever to play for Maccabi at age 16 years, 320 days. He is still currently playing with the club, although Deni has struggled to find playing time in 2019. This is most likely due to his involvement with the Israeli National Team, and Maccabi Tel Aviv not wanting to "over-work" him.
âNational Team Career
In August of 2017, Avdija was a member of the Israel U-16 team that participated in the 2017 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship. He would lead the tournament in rebounds (12.6) and assists (5.3), to go with 15.3 points per game.
The following year in July, Avdija became a member of the Israeli Under-20 team that won the gold medal at the 2018 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. Where he again performed very well averaging 12.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Avdija performed so well, he earned a spot in the All-Tournament Team. âOn February 21, 2019, as an 18 year old Avdija made his debut for the Israeli senior national team in an 81â77 win over Germany.
Just recently this July Avdija and the Israeli Under-20 team was competing in the â 2019 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. Deni and Israel took home their second consecutive gold medal in the event. Avdija was named the Tournament MVP after scoring 26 points, 11 rebounds and 5 steals against France and 23 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds against Spain. This is just the beginning of the hype train for Avdija, but he has now shown he can dominate his peers.
2020 NBA Draft
Full (5:35) Highlights from 2019 FIBA Europe Under-20 MVP and Championship run:
What Makes Deni Different?
You might ask, "What makes Deni Avdija different from any other hyped European prospect?" There have been plenty that have been HUGE disappointments, Dragan Bender, Dante Exum, and Mario Hezonja just to name a few.
âBut Deni is different. He fits the perfect mold for a modern NBA superstar. Outside of Anthony Davis the top 10 players in the league are predominantly ball dominant point guards or wings. Avdija fits that mold... as a 6'9" wing he averaged 7.6 assists per contest during Israel's gold medal run in the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. Those numbers would make his game comparable to a player like Luka Doncic or LeBron James. And you may say, "Deni Avdija in the same conversation as Luka Doncic and LeBron?... you're crazy." I obviously don't think Avdija will be as good as Doncic or LeBron, but his game sure has some similarities to theirs. Athleticism/Defense
As an 18 year old Avdija already has elite athleticism, that will carry right into the NBA. The biggest trait in an all-NBA defender is usually athleticism, and Deni flashes just that. Even in the 2019 FIBA Europe Under-20 championship game against Lithuania, he made big block after big block showing the potential of a lock-down defender. Once he is in an NBA coaching/training system I expect him to develop into a elite defender.
Scoring Ability
Passing
There is not doubt that the strength of Avdija's game is his passing ability. Like I previously said Deni averaged a ridiculous 7.6 assists per game during the FIBA Europe Under-20 tournament. This would be where I begin to compare Avdija to LeBron or Luka Doncic. All three players have a knack to make a pass before the play even happens. If Deni remains hungry he could become the next great point forward in the NBA.
The FIBA Europe Under-20 has historically been dominated by great basketball countries like Spain, Lithuania, or Serbia. In the last two years Israel has taken home their first two medals both being gold medals led by Deni Avdija. Israel is a country of only 8.7 million people and Deni has taken the entire population by storm. Even if Deni doesn't thrive in the NBA he will be the king of Israel's and have an entire country behind him during his basketball career.
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BY: Tony Liebert
The NBA offseason was just as wild as everyone wanted. There were blockbuster trades, big name free agents, and surprise draft picks. The great Warriors dynasty may be falling in front of our eyes, and a new rivalry between the Lakers and the Clippers is just beginning. With every offseason there are teams that make terrific moves, so I will go through which teams I think improved their situation most this offseason.
5 Winners
=trade =free agent =draft =2-way-player
In 2018-19 the Utah Jazz finished the regular season as the fifth seed with a 50-32 record. They ended up falling to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs in only five games. Utah knew they needed to shake things up. The first move they made was acquiring Mike Conley from the Grizzlies. I explain the details of the trade below, highlighting the Grizzlies offseason. But Conley will finally add a point guard alongside Donovan Mitchell who has the ability to score, and keep the defense on their toes. Conley is one of the most well respected pros in the league, and I think he will help with Mitchell’s development tremendously.
The Jazz traded away the majority of their bench in the Mike Conley deal, so they knew they needed to find some future role players in the draft. They only had three second round picks, so they didn’t have much flexibility. But they found Justin Wright-Foreman who averaged 27.1 points per game last season at Hofstra which was second in the country. He was the 17th ranked prospect in my rankings (check out the rest of the list here) so they got great value with him in the second round. Miye Oni from Yale, and Jarrell Brantley from the College of Charleston both were great “flyer” picks that could both develop into solid role players. Which at the end of the day is an average expectation for a second round pick. Utah began their free agency period with trading their own veteran big man Derrick Favors to the Pelicans for two second round picks. This move was done mostly in part to make room for Mike Conley, but I think it was time for the Jazz to finally move on from Favors. Their first signing was adding former Pacers forward Bojan Bogdonovic on a 4-year $73 million dollar deal. Bojan quietly averaged 18 points a game for Indiana last season. Adding a player like Bogdonavic had to be done, because in today's NBA, a market like Utah will never be able to attract the big name free agents, and the Jazz already have their big three of Conley, Gobert, and Mitchell. So going all in for right now was the correct decision. Next the Jazz needed to add veterans to their bench. They inked Ed Davis for 2 years $10 million. He will be a great big to back up Gobert. Lastly they added Emanuel Mudiay and Jeff Green both to one year deals. Both players will add great depth to their roster and hopefully lead to a deep playoff run. They Utah Jazz clearly don't have the same fire power as teams like the Sixers, Clippers, or Lakers, but they quietly have a chance at contending for a title next season.
Chris Paul has always been a pass-first point guard. And the Houston Rockets are not a pass-first team. Houston has built their roster on being able to shoot as many threes as possible, and being able to get to the rim for dunks. They now have the two best volume shooters in the league who also may be two of the best players at getting to the rim. Trading Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook was a move that needed to be made by GM Daryl Morey.
The Rockets attempted to make Chris Paul into a volume three point shooter, which clearly did not work. Russell Westbrook and James Harden are the two best players in the league at doing what the Rockets want to do. Houston had little risk in acquiring Westbrook, they really only gave up two first round pick, two first round pick swaps, and Chris Paul for the former MVP. The Rockets gave up Paul who had a terrible contract so taking on Westbrook's monster contract was not a tough burden to swallow for Houston. Next the Rockets needed to fill in their bench, and they didn't have much money to do so. Daryl Morey has always been historically great at bringing great role players to surround Harden for cheap every season. Bringing back Austin Rivers, Gerald Green, and Danuel House will all add instant offense and solid perimeter defense off of the bench. Tyson Chandler is just an older version of Clint Capela, so he will be a solid veteran backup. Houston also brought in Chris Clemmons and Shamorie Ponds as undrafted free agents. There is a solid chance neither one makes the roster but they were arguably the two best volume scorers in college basketball last season. So they could fit their system perfectly. And... Anthony Bennett, the former 2013 number one overall pick signed a one year deal. Morey has loved taking flyers on players like Bennett. His contract is not guaranteed so there is a solid chance he does not even make the final roster, but last season in the G-League he shot a very good 43.4% from the three point line. Bennett has shown he has a vastly improved work ethic as well as the ability to knockdown threes, as well as being rumored to be in the best shape of his career. The best case scenario is that Bennett will be a solid role player for Houston, but there is always hope for more. Houston was in a tough situation after loosing to the Warriors for the second year in a row in the playoffs, but they made moves to give them a different chance to make a run at a title in 2020.
Even though the Grizzlies will not be in contention for a title next season, their offseason could not have gone much better. They started with moving on from their “franchise-player” Mike Conley. They traded Conley to the Utah Jazz, and in return they received Grayson Allen, Jae Crowder, Kyler Korver, and a protected 2020 first-round pick. This was a solid return for an aging, injury prone, and overpaid veteran point guard. Grayson Allen can be a great rotational player or possibly an average starting guard, Jae Crowder will add a great veteran presence to their young team, and Kyle Korver was used in a later trade.
Conley was traded to make room for their point guard of the future Ja Morant, whom they selected with the second pick. Morant and teammate Jaren Jackson Jr. will arguably be the best young duo in the league. Memphis selected Brandon Clarke with their second pick in the first round, whom they traded the 23rd pick and a future second round pick for. Clarke was my seventh ranked prospect (check out the rest of the list here) so in my eyes that was terrific value. The Grizzlies now would have the ability to play Clarke and Jackson Jr. on the floor at the same time, which would make one of the most athletic frontcourts in the entire NBA. After already making two franchise changing moves, Memphis was not done heading into free agency. They started out by bringing back veteran center Jonas Valančiūnas, whom they acquired in the Marc Gasol trade. Jonas is surprisingly only 27 years old, and he quietly had a great second half of the season with the Grizz averaging 20 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest in 19 games. They signed the Lithuanian to a solid contract, 3 years at 45 million. This is the only move that the Grizzlies made that I do not love, but when his contract is up their young core will be entering their prime, so I don’t really have a problem with it. Next the Grizzlies acquired Andre Iguodala and a first round pick for Julian Washburn. This move has zero risk, and while rebuilding acquiring salary for first round picks in return is what really speeds up a rebuild. The Grizzlies were not yet done. They then traded Kyle Korver, Jevon Carter, and 2 future second round picks for De’Anthony Melton and Josh Jackson. Melton can develop into a solid backup point guard. But Josh Jackson was the 4th overall pick just two seasons ago. I think a change of scenery to along with a stable front office will help Jackson tremendously. If Jackson could even become an average starter this trade would be a win for the Grizzlies. Lastly Memphis signed free agent guard Tyus Jones to a three-year-$24 million contract. This is an absolute steal for Jones, who is a player that has been very efficient when given playing time. I expect Jones to surprise a lot of people next year with the Grizzlies. The "Grit and Grind" era may be over, but Memphis has began their rebuild with a flurry of great transactions.
The Sixers offseason could not have gone any better. The majority would say that bringing back Jimmy Butler would have been better for Philly but I would disagree. If the Sixers want Ben Simmons to be their point guard of the future, Jimmy Butler would have hindered his development.
Josh Richardson is the perfect guard to pair with Simmons. Last season in Miami, J-Rich averaged 16.6 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per contest. For Ben Simmons to flourish I think a less ball dominant guard like Richardson will be the perfect pair alongside him. Tobias Harris is one of the most efficient shooters in the NBA, and in today's NBA shooting is a valuable asset. Which made Harris more valuable than Butler. Not signing Butler opened up the cap space available to sign Al Horford. Big Al alongside Joel Embiid will make one of the most interesting backcourts in the NBA. Next Philly took Matisse Thybulle in the back of the first round of the draft and he will be a great defending rotational player. Lastly second round pick Marial Shayok may add some scoring deep on the bench. Philly rounded out their offseason bringing back James Ennis and Mike Scott will add great depth off of the bench. As well as Raul Neto as a backup point guard, and Kyle O'Quinn as a backup big. The Philadelphia 76ers trusted the process and now they are the favorite to win the Eastern Conference championship.
Jerry West strikes again. The same man who traded for Kobe Bryant on draft night, recruited Shaquille O’Neal to Los Angeles, prevented a Kevin Love/Klay Thompson trade, and helped recruit Kevin Durant. Has just helped sign Kawhi Leonard and trade for Paul George… WOW. Obviously the Clippers won the offseason by adding two of the top 10 players in the NBA. But the reason I like their offseason is so much is their ability to retain their role players. We just saw the Raptors win the NBA Championship behind Kawhi, and great surrounding role players. Patrick Beverly will be able to lock up just about any wing player in the NBA. Ivica Zubac is coming off of a season where as a 21 year old he averaged 9.4 points and 7.7 rebounds in only 20.2 minutes per game. JaMychal Green and Rodney McGruder averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds combined last season. Both players will be solid defenders while Paul George and Kawhi are off the floor. Moe Harkless is a very similar player, but his addition was so vital to their offseason because, they acquired a first round pick from the Miami Heat, where they later used to acquire Paul George. Overall the Clippers have made, brilliant move after brilliant move since moving on from Blake Griffin.
They have now made themselves into the NBA title favorite just three full seasons after the “lob-city” era has ended.
Honorable Mention:
It was clearly time for the Pelicans to find a trade for Anthony Davis, and new GM David Griffin did just that. As soon as David Griffin arrived in New Orleans you could clearly tell he had a direction. In return, from trading Anthony Davis the Pelicans received Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three future first round picks, one of which was the fourth overall pick in this years draft. You really can’t ask for much more in return for a superstar. I expect Lonzo to flourish in new scenery and we will start to figure out why he is a former number two overall pick. Brandon Ingram on the other hand still has some developing to do. He has shown flashes of greatness with the Lakers, but no consistency at all. With much less pressure out in New Orleans, and being out of the LA spotlight we could see a completely different Ingram in New Orleans… but who knows? Josh Hart has already shown he can be a great sixth man on any team and will add defense and shooting right away for the Pelicans off the bench. The fourth pick that the Pelicans acquired they later turned into the eighth, 15th and 35th picks in this years draft, as well as getting off of Solomon Hill’s $12 million contract, adding plenty of cap space for free agency.
New Orleans clearly took Zion Williamson with the top overall pick, who is a transcendent talent that will contribute to the Pelicans right away. With the eighth pick the Pelicans took Jaxson Hayes who has already shown in summer league the type of player he can be…
Nickeil Alexander-Walker was also a very interesting selection with the 17th overall pick. He is a very athletic combo guard that should be a great rotational player off the bench, or even possibly develop into a starting guard. He has the ability to create his own shot and facilitate which he should be able to do right away in New Orleans. They also took Marcos Louzada Silva with their 35th pick. He is a very raw guard with great potential, who will play at least one more season overseas.
With the salary cap they opened from trading away Solomon Hill, the Pelicans had a lot of opportunities for free agency. Their first move was bringing euro-league big man Nicolo Meli. Meli is a stretch big that would be the perfect player to pair next to Zion Williamson. He shows flashes of being a Brook Lopez/Nikola Mirotic type and I expect him to add points to New Orleans’ offense right away. They also brought in JJ Reddick who has clearly been one of the best shooters in the NBA his whole career. They also brought back Darius Miller on a very team friendly contract, who has secretly been a knockdown shooter for his whole career. He has been a 43% plus shooter during his time in New Orleans. Lastly David Griffin practically stole Derrick Favors from the Jazz for two second round picks. Overall David Griffin did a terrific job adding shooters to surround Lonzo Ball and Zion Williamson, which clearly don’t have shooting as a strength of their game. And their future looks as bright of any young team in the NBA. |
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May 2020
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