Deni Avdija - 2020 draft

[karkinos]

love deni's skill/mechanics and fluidity and of course ability to push the tempo
i was down on this draft class overall but now i'm reconsidering

[Goudelock]

The more I read about Avdija, the more I view him as a 3rd/fourth option on a good team who plays the middle-class man's Draymond role. I don't see outstanding scoring potential, but I could see him averaging 12-7-4 with a few blocks/steals a game (in his prime) while being able to defend every position. That's an outstanding player and someone I would take with a top 5 pick in a weak draft like this one.

[UcanUwill]

The more I read about Avdija, the more I view him as a 3rd/fourth option on a good team who plays the middle-class man's Draymond role. I don't see outstanding scoring potential, but I could see him averaging 12-7-4 with a few blocks/steals a game (in his prime) while being able to defend every position. That's an outstanding player and someone I would take with a top 5 pick in a weak draft like this one.

Yeah, I think its his best case scenario.

[Goudelock]

The more I read about Avdija, the more I view him as a 3rd/fourth option on a good team who plays the middle-class man's Draymond role. I don't see outstanding scoring potential, but I could see him averaging 12-7-4 with a few blocks/steals a game (in his prime) while being able to defend every position. That's an outstanding player and someone I would take with a top 5 pick in a weak draft like this one.

Yeah, I think its his best case scenario.

What is your idea of a realistic outcome for him? I think at best he can be Draymond Green, but a more realistic outcome might be Taurean Prince with slightly better passing?

[UcanUwill]

The more I read about Avdija, the more I view him as a 3rd/fourth option on a good team who plays the middle-class man's Draymond role. I don't see outstanding scoring potential, but I could see him averaging 12-7-4 with a few blocks/steals a game (in his prime) while being able to defend every position. That's an outstanding player and someone I would take with a top 5 pick in a weak draft like this one.

Yeah, I think its his best case scenario.

What is your idea of a realistic outcome for him? I think at best he can be Draymond Green, but a more realistic outcome might be Taurean Prince with slightly better passing?

Taller forward version of Dante Exum. But I dont know really, he played so little and had insignificant role in PROS, I really wouldnt be surprised if hes a huge bust. He reminds me of Exum, where his main selling point from junior tournaments was his playmaker ball handler ability, but is off hand is so weak, you really do not want him to handle the ball at pro level. I mean Exum had injuries, maybe he could have been good, and Avdija is much taller therefor not so dependent on handle.

But I just warn everyone who drafts Euros for good FIBA juniors play when they simultaneously suck in Euroleague or other PRO league. It almost never work out. FIBA juniors is comparable to college, brobably even worse than tier 1 college competition. And with college kids, we have busts all the time, even best college players can be busts. And its the same think with FIBA juniors superstars, and I think their play on EL teams is blatant sneak peak of how they will translate, and so far Avdija hasn't shown anything worthy to believe he is not a bust to me. I know that hes young and teams like raw prospects they can shape, but this is not video game where you train what you want and you gained those skills 100%.

I think you should expect tall Exum, or fast Kyle Anderson, I dont think his offense will be much better than that, its his defense I think will make or break his career.

[Sir-Swish-A-Lot]

Dude is a 50% free throw shooter...no way he should be in the Lottery. He's no Luka. He will be getting smoked trying guard NBA players. I wouldn't even draft him in the first round after seeing some of his highlight/scouting videos. Jaden McDaniels is a much better NBA prospect than this guy.

[Goudelock]

Yeah, I think its his best case scenario.

What is your idea of a realistic outcome for him? I think at best he can be Draymond Green, but a more realistic outcome might be Taurean Prince with slightly better passing?

Taller forward version of Dante Exum. But I dont know really, he played so little and had insignificant role in PROS, I really wouldnt be surprised if hes a huge bust. He reminds me of Exum, where his main selling point from junior tournaments was his playmaker ball handler ability, but is off hand is so weak, you really do not want him to handle the ball at pro level. I mean Exum had injuries, maybe he could have been good, and Avdija is much taller therefor not so dependent on handle.

But I just warn everyone who drafts Euros for good FIBA juniors play when they simultaneously suck in Euroleague or other PRO league. It almost never work out. FIBA juniors is comparable to college, brobably even worse than tier 1 college competition. And with college kids, we have busts all the time, even best college players can be busts. And its the same think with FIBA juniors superstars, and I think their play on EL teams is blatant sneak peak of how they will translate, and so far Avdija hasn't shown anything worthy to believe he is not a bust to me. I know that hes young and teams like raw prospects they can shape, but this is not video game where you train what you want and you gained those skills 100%.

I think you should expect tall Exum, or fast Kyle Anderson, I dont think his offense will be much better than that, its his defense I think will make or break his career.

That's a fair assessment. And I love me some Kyle Anderson, so a faster version of that with some defensive instincts is a good player in my eyes. I'm not one of these insane people who have Avdija as a superstar, so as long as my team* gets a rotation player out of this draft, I'll be happy.



*I'm pretending I'm a GM here.

[The-Power]

I think at best he can be Draymond Green, but a more realistic outcome might be Taurean Prince with slightly better passing?

Draymond Green is a perennial DPOY-candidate and a 2nd-tier ATG defensive player. I know of nobody who expects Avdija to be anywhere close to that on defense and I also don't know anybody who expects him to be an elite small-ball 5. He'll be a better scorer than Green, though. So he's just a very different player overall.

[Sir-Swish-A-Lot]

I think at best he can be Draymond Green, but a more realistic outcome might be Taurean Prince with slightly better passing?

Draymond Green is a perennial DPOY-candidate and a 2nd-tier ATG defensive player. I know of nobody who expects Avdija to be anywhere close to that on defense and I also don't know anybody who expects him to be an elite small-ball 5. He'll be a better scorer than Green, though. So he's just a very different player overall.

It's called pre draft hype over actual substance. Every draft prospect has the highest ceiling before they are drafted and step onto a NBA court against real NBA players. Then reality sets in for 90% percent of the hyped up draft prospects that fail to meet pre draft expectations.

[Mirotic12]

Dude is a 50% free throw shooter...no way he should be in the Lottery. He's no Luka. He will be getting smoked trying guard NBA players. I wouldn't even draft him in the first round after seeing some of his highlight/scouting videos. Jaden McDaniels is a much better NBA prospect than this guy.

This is another myth we get all the time, that NBA somehow had this super difference in what is necessary for players on defense as compared to EuroLeague. It's pretty much the exact opposite actually. EuroLeague is generally far more demanding in terms of playing defense and especially in terms if physical play than the NBA is.

And Avdija has good size and length amd he's a solid athlete. So I really don't see why he would have problems on defense in the NBA. His coach at Maccabi is very demanding on defense, certainly more so than most NBA coaches are. Tyler Dorsey flat out didn't play at all on that team, until he at least tried the best he could on defense.

I don't really see defense being a major issue in NBA for Avdija, at least not once he develops more physically.

[Sir-Swish-A-Lot]

Dude is a 50% free throw shooter...no way he should be in the Lottery. He's no Luka. He will be getting smoked trying guard NBA players. I wouldn't even draft him in the first round after seeing some of his highlight/scouting videos. Jaden McDaniels is a much better NBA prospect than this guy.

This is another myth we get all the time, that NBA somehow had this super difference in what is necessary for players on defense as compared to EuroLeague. It's pretty much the exact opposite actually. EuroLeague is generally far more demanding in terms of playing defense and especially in terms if physical play than the NBA is.

And Avdija has good size and length amd he's a solid athlete. So I really don't see why he would have problems on defense in the NBA. His coach at Maccabi is very demanding on defense, certainly more so than most NBA coaches are. Tyler Dorsey flat out didn't play at all on that team, until he at least tried the best he could on defense.

I don't really see defense being a major issue in NBA for Avdija, at least not once he develops more physically.

He looks pretty slow and unathletic to me. Time will tell...

[Mirotic12]

Hezonja was always bad lol plus a terrible guy to have around

Hezonja was a year older, fully, and he played worse for a worse team, yeah he played a bit more in Euroleague, but overall he had a lesser role

Actually, that Barca team Hezonja was on looks clearly better than Avdija's Maccai team to me......

2019-20 Maccabi

ACY, QUINCY
AVDIJA, DENI
BLACK, TARIK
BRYANT, ELIJAH
CALOIARO, ANGELO
CASSPI, OMRI
COHEN, JAKE
COHEN, SANDY
DIBARTOLOMEO, JOHN
DORSEY, TYLER
HUNTER, OTHELLO
JACKSON, AARON
REYNOLDS, JALEN
STOUDEMIRE, AMAR'E
WILBEKIN, SCOTTIE
WOLTERS, NATE
ZOOSMAN, YOVEL

2014-15 Barcelona

ABRINES, ALEX
DOELLMAN, JUSTIN
HAKANSON, LUDDE
HEZONJA, MARIO
HUERTAS, MARCELINHO
JACKSON, EDWIN
LAMPE, MACIEJ
NACHBAR, BOSTJAN
NAVARRO, JUAN CARLOS
OLESON, BRAD
PLEISS, TIBOR
SATORANSKY, TOMAS
SULEJMANOVIC, EMIR
THOMAS, DESHAUN
TOMIC, ANTE

Justin Doellman, Tomas Satoransky, Deshaun Thomas, decent role players like Abrines and Oleson, and Navarro / Tomic / Huertas when they could still play...looks better than that Maccabi team, especially considering that Casspi and Black missed most of the season.

I'd take that 2014-15 Barca team over that 2019-20 Maccabi team in a playoff series.

[Mirotic12]

He looks pretty slow and unathletic to me. Time will tell...

Maybe if you believe what some stupid NBA draft hype is saying, that he's a 1/2/3. He's not. He's a face up power forward. I don't think he's slow for a 4, which is his real position.

[Goudelock]

I think at best he can be Draymond Green, but a more realistic outcome might be Taurean Prince with slightly better passing?

Draymond Green is a perennial DPOY-candidate and a 2nd-tier ATG defensive player. I know of nobody who expects Avdija to be anywhere close to that on defense and I also don't know anybody who expects him to be an elite small-ball 5. He'll be a better scorer than Green, though. So he's just a very different player overall.

It's called pre draft hype over actual substance. Every draft prospect has the highest ceiling before they are drafted and step onto a NBA court against real NBA players. Then reality sets in for 90% percent of the hyped up draft prospects that fail to meet pre draft expectations.

FWIW, when I say "Draymond Green," I mean a middle-version of Draymond. I would never compare any NBA prospect to a HOF player.

[Sir-Swish-A-Lot]

Draymond Green is a perennial DPOY-candidate and a 2nd-tier ATG defensive player. I know of nobody who expects Avdija to be anywhere close to that on defense and I also don't know anybody who expects him to be an elite small-ball 5. He'll be a better scorer than Green, though. So he's just a very different player overall.

It's called pre draft hype over actual substance. Every draft prospect has the highest ceiling before they are drafted and step onto a NBA court against real NBA players. Then reality sets in for 90% percent of the hyped up draft prospects that fail to meet pre draft expectations.

FWIW, when I say "Draymond Green," I mean a middle-version of Draymond. I would never compare any NBA prospect to a HOF player.

Fair enough...

[Mirotic12]

FWIW, when I say "Draymond Green," I mean a middle-version of Draymond. I would never compare any NBA prospect to a HOF player.

He's a totally different type of player from Draymond Green. Other than both having the 4 as their natural position (at least that should be Avdija's correct position), I can't see any similarities between them.

[Sir-Swish-A-Lot]

He looks pretty slow and unathletic to me. Time will tell...

Maybe if you believe what some stupid NBA draft hype is saying, that he's a 1/2/3. He's not. He's a face up power forward. I don't think he's slow for a 4, which is his real position.

I am going by what I see on his highlight videos and scouting videos...nothing more, nothing less. It's just my opinion. Time will tell where he fits in on a NBA roster.

[clyde21]

The more I read about Avdija, the more I view him as a 3rd/fourth option on a good team who plays the middle-class man's Draymond role. I don't see outstanding scoring potential, but I could see him averaging 12-7-4 with a few blocks/steals a game (in his prime) while being able to defend every position. That's an outstanding player and someone I would take with a top 5 pick in a weak draft like this one.

what does this mean? Deni can't defend every position where is this coming from?

[clyde21]

what is this Draymond Green talk? Dray's one of this generations best defenders...Deni is nowhere near that nor does he project to be anywhere near that...he'll be fine on defense, primarily defending stretch 4s/5s but he's gonna get gobbled up inside and you don't want him on the perimeter either against guards

[getrichordie]

The more I read about Avdija, the more I view him as a 3rd/fourth option on a good team who plays the middle-class man's Draymond role. I don't see outstanding scoring potential, but I could see him averaging 12-7-4 with a few blocks/steals a game (in his prime) while being able to defend every position. That's an outstanding player and someone I would take with a top 5 pick in a weak draft like this one.

what does this mean? Deni can't defend every position where is this coming from?

Yeah that’s a weird take. There’s no reason to believe that Avdija can guard 1-5. At best he can guard 3-4 and some 2s and that’s pushing it.

I see Avdija’s ultimate upside as an solid athletic combo-forward who can be a solid defender and knock down open 3s and play make a little.

I think at best he’s the 4th man on a team and more of a glue guy. I think there are more players with higher upside in this draft:

Hayes
Wiseman
Ball
Lewis Jr.
Okoro
Vassell
Haliburton
Maxey
mayyybe Ramsey