Deni Avdija

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I’m with doclinkin in saying Deni is doing just fine.

Wes Jr is the one who’s also improved.

[doclinkin]

Deni was benched because he had 1 game where he made a few of mistakes on defense, namely one where he lost his defender at the last seconds of the first half, not because he couldn't make a shot, and WUJ said it on the post game press conference, which indeed singled him out.

Actually no. He was benched because he has been timid on offense since he reached the NBA. He got touches, opportunities, he just literally passed on them. Westbrook especially was begging him to attack. Deni got defensive about it, stating he was always going to pass the ball if he had a better option. Which is smart team play because his shooting numbers have been sub par until recently. In the paint and from 3 in particular. Teams wanted him on court for his defense, but on offense he added little except moving the ball or bringing it up if the guards felt pressure.

With no offense, if he also slipped on defense then he has no utility for any team. He was a poor fit next to starters because he was doing nothing when off the ball and other players were more efficient in that respect.

Here's the quote. A reporter asked specifically about Deni. Wes said:

"I didn't think he played the way we wanted him to. He struggled defensively. It's gonna happen some nights, that's ok. He'll get another crack at it."

“I thought it was just the way AG [Anthony Gill] found action for us against the switches, against cross-match defenses. He has a feel for playing without the ball. Moving off the ball, he’s not a playmaker off the bounce, he doesn’t play pick and roll, but when teams do try to heat Brad up or double team KP in the post, he has a good knack of cutting, moving, finding the pocket, and he can facilitate from that area.”

That's not throwing him under the bus. It's acknowledging Deni was a less efficient option with the ball in his hands than any of the other starters. And AG showed a better off ball game. But since he was benched Deni has played better off the ball. EVEN on catch and shoot 3's. Even from the corner. His attitude seems to have changed as well. Body language etc. Less fussing with refs or even teammates. He is actually doing all the things that Wes said Gill was more proficient at. Making cuts strong to the basket. Finishing at the rim. Re-locating when he is away from the ball, giving his teammates an angle for a better pass. Hitting more of his open shots. His confidence is growing, the ball is falling. Seems to me he is adjusting.

Personally I have appreciated the coaching job Wes is doing. He seems comfortable trying new lines to see what works. And it looks to me like the players are responding and improving. But if you don't acknowledge that Deni was struggling on offense, and passing more often than finishing, then there's no point in having the discussion.

It's great to have a favorite player. Deni is one of my favorites on this team. It's when fans start complaining that the team should trade him to somewhere else because he is treated unfairly that my eyes roll in my head. There's single player fans and team fans. Personally single player fans irk me whether they root for the home team or show up in the stands in an opponent jersey, but I get it. It's a star's league. Still, Deni is under enough pressure simply playing the game, without the collective media across the world second guessing every roster tweak. He's good, no big deal if he is not quite a starter level attacking forward. Not yet. He's getting there.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Even I don’t know what Wes Jr did to me for my hater mode switch to be so on. He’s been fine since Gafford has been starting but HOW LONG DID IT TAKE? I think last season he messed up, too.

As for how Wes coaches Deni, I totally agree with doclinkin. No problem. He allows Deni to step back from a mistake but sticks with Advija. His body language is highly supportive of Deni.

(He still only grudgingly supports Gafford IMO)

[Wizraeli]

Actually no. He was benched because he has been timid on offense since he reached the NBA.

Actually, yes, his offense hasn't changed and yet he still started in the beginning of the season under the label of the starting 5 "glue guy", nobody expected him to take a lot of shots while playing next to Beal, Kuzma and Porzingis anyway, not WUJ and not the "Deni fans", until his benching he even shot 51% from FG and 53% from 3 pt, so you can't blame his offense for the benching, his offense didn't seem to bother WUJ until that game against Boston where he lost his defender at the end of the 1st half, those are the facts, Deni was benched only when he showed bad defense and WUJ clearly stated that in the press conference, even in the quote that you brought yourself.

With no offense, if he also slipped on defense then he has no utility for any team

Like I wrote, before the benching his % from FG were 51% which was better than his average of the previous 2 seasons and from 3 pt he had 53% which is excellent, while scoring 7.3 points a game, you can't label that as "no offense", especially when he did that while playing next to Beal, Kuzma and Porzingis...and also you basically just agreeing with me that the bad defense was the factor that changed which caused his benching.

That's not throwing him under the bus. It's acknowledging Deni was a less efficient option with the ball in his hands than any of the other starters. And AG showed a better off ball game. But since he was benched Deni has played better off the ball. EVEN on catch and shoot 3's. Even from the corner. His attitude seems to have changed as well. Body language etc. Less fussing with refs or even teammates.

Sorry but that didn't happen because of the benching, after the benching he had a series of 5 bad games with 0, 5, 4, 4 and 3 points while shooting 22% from FG and 0% from 3 pt, he only improved when the Wizards forcefully and very intentionally started to give him a few minutes in a playmaking role each game, a smart move that helped his confidence and drastically changed the way he acted on offense, on and off the ball.

We can go on with this back and forth a long time, my bottom line was and still is, Deni fans didn't asked "everything to be handed to him", I don't know what's going on in other places, in here I haven't seen anyone asking him to get free gifts, so in my opinion what you said was wrong, we only asked not to try and force him to be a player that he's not, because that would be a waste of time and won't end well for both sides, that doesn't mean Deni doesn't needs to improve in a lot of areas, but if the Wizards wanted a 3&D player they should have drafted a 3&D player, Deni wasn't that kind of player before the draft, in fact those were his 2 big weaknesses in the scouting reports, and he'll never will be that kind of player, so any complaint you may have heard was based on the feeling that the Wizards had no idea what to do with him and basically just told him to stand in the corner while hoping he'll do something at some point, that was the wrong approach and we said it, that's all.

[DCZards]

Wizraeli, it sounds like you want the Zards and Coach Wes to cater to the strengths and weaknesses of Deni. It doesn’t work that way. Unless you’re the team’s star or best player, it’s incumbent on the individual to adjust/develop his game based on the needs of the team…and not the other way around as you seem to want for Deni.

[Wizraeli]

You can’t expect Coach Wes to adjust his game plan to accommodate the skill set of an unproven, inexperienced player like Deni. That player has to learn to adjust and play a role that fits the needs of the team. And, in Deni’s case, that means learning how to be a 3&D…when necessary.

Wizraeli, it sounds like you want the Zards and Coach Wes to cater to the strengths and weaknesses of Deni. It doesn’t work that way. Unless you’re the team’s star or best player, it’s incumbent on the individual to adjust/develop his game based on the needs of the team…and not the other way around as you seem to want for Deni.

Factually the coach did adjust his game plan, factually the Wizards did start giving Deni minutes as a playmaker, it happened, it's a fact, and it's working much better.

Saying that a player needs to adjust to a role that fits the team is just a slogan, players have strengths and weaknesses and there's a limited range where a player can change his playing style, people keep claiming Deni didn't adjust to the team but for some reason ignoring that his main weaknesses in the draft scouting reports were: free throws, 3 point shot and defense, I think it's safe to say Deni has adjusted his defense ability, and he also improved his FT % to 78%, the only thing he didn't improve yet is the 3pt % and there are enough reports saying he's at least putting the effort in that area.

So blaming him for not adjusting is out of place, he can adjust until a certain point, if the Wizards wanted a young Davis Bertans they should have drafted such a player, they didn't, they just took the best available player on the pool and only then started to think what to do with him, they tried for 2 seasons to use him the wrong way and force him to "adjust" and it didn't worked, from the moment they started to use him in a role that suits his strengths much more he improved, these are just the facts.

[Kanyewest]

IIRC, the benching didn't make much sense at the time- this was before Rui started playing better and the Wizards didn't even play Deni in the 2nd half of a few games. Maybe Wes Unseld was looking for a chance to give Barton some room to shine, given that he coached him Denver.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Wes can only bully young players.

[Dolevi]

I'm with the saying indeed, players don't need to change their way of style / the way they play for the seek of the team if it's hurting them. You're better when you use your best weapons in their best efficiency / shape. It's not that Deni as a 3&D can't contribute the team. It's just you lose that way the player's best abilities, and also not letting him improve *his game* by time with the team. You're saying he needs to earn his place through the 3, but why is that? The 3 ball anyway isn't a strong foundation of him. There are better than him on that. It's like you will ask from Westbrook to earn his place by his 3ball%, and not by his other aspects of the game.

The israeli people were mad rightfully because they saw a good potential being ruined because of an unhealthy team with a squared coach who sent him to space the floor at the 3. No one here thought he would be a star or Luka man, we just want him to play his ball, his game. And as so it should be the Wizards's interest too to do so. So they will be able to see his full potential and see what his ceiling is. Deni is young and can develop a lot. It's better for the team to invest on him for this role, better than invest on some regular veteran that won't evolve to anything.

And honestly I'm happy from the last couple of weeks. Even if Kuz and Rui send some bricks, Deni still manages to handle the ball and he creates a lot opportunities to his friends, he has a lot assists recently, and I think also a lot potential assists. He touches the ball a lot more and gets more touches, and as a result he plays better. I like that Wes has figured it out finally, and I also like that he has started going big with both Gafford and KP in the lineup.

[Pistol King]

^ Re: Dolevi, I don't like when people claim 100% confidently that a young talented player wouldn't be a star no matter what. Nonsense to me. It's up to Deni and the work he's willing to put on, what he might become and what not.

On another note, stop being passive and start driving more Deni:

Read on Twitter

[Wizraeli]

On another note, stop being passive and start driving more Deni

Yea, when Deni will realize that he's 6'9" with a guard's first step good things will happen, somebody needs to tell him he's quite tall because it seems like sometimes he forgets, recently it look like he's getting more confidence with driving to the paint, he was 4/4 last game with driving attempts and additionally got to the FT twice so actually 6/6, the problem is that it was all in the 2nd half, in the 1st half he was still passive.

[CntOutSmrtCrazy]

^ Re: Dolevi, I don't like when people claim 100% confidently that a young talented player wouldn't be a star no matter what. Nonsense to me. It's up to Deni and the work he's willing to put on, what he might become and what not.

On another note, stop being passive and start driving more Deni:

Read on Twitter

That's damn good company, have to take with a grain of salt, but good company nonetheless.

He's been much better at the the rim this season considering he had a bit of a reputation of missing some bunnies last season. I think he already has nearly twice as many dunks this season as he had last season with half the season to play. He's been doing some crafty stuff around the hoop too, some nice underhand scoop shoots, bankers, off balanced shots, he's got some real potential as a driver.

[nate33]

^ Re: Dolevi, I don't like when people claim 100% confidently that a young talented player wouldn't be a star no matter what. Nonsense to me. It's up to Deni and the work he's willing to put on, what he might become and what not.

On another note, stop being passive and start driving more Deni:

Read on Twitter

I'd like to see the turnover percentages on those drives too. I love Deni, but my sense is that he is rather turnover prone when he drives to the basket. I'm pleased to see his FG% is solid though.

[CntOutSmrtCrazy]

^ Re: Dolevi, I don't like when people claim 100% confidently that a young talented player wouldn't be a star no matter what. Nonsense to me. It's up to Deni and the work he's willing to put on, what he might become and what not.

On another note, stop being passive and start driving more Deni:

Read on Twitter

I'd like to see the turnover percentages on those drives too. I love Deni, but my sense is that he is rather turnover prone when he drives to the basket. I'm pleased to see his FG% is solid though.

I feel like more of his TOs, at least as of late, have come off of botched entry passes to Porzingis/Kuzma.

[Frichuela]

Some love for Deni from the OKC faithful

Read on Twitter

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[CntOutSmrtCrazy]

Some love for Deni from the OKC faithful

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=uJP1ODn_glC0VLH3MyzBFg

It's a shame this franchise is stuck in the position where it can't properly develop player's like Deni, Gafford, Goodwin, Rui, Davis, and Kispert.

People who swan over Kuzma forget that he was allowed to make a lot of mistakes, jack up a lot of shots, play heavy minutes, etc. for his first 3-4 seasons. Now obviously, there has been some determinantal aspects to unbridled leeway, but damn it be nice if it didn't feel like Beal, Kuzma, and Porzingis were on a totally different tier than everyone else, that they weren't consigned to have a certain amount of minutes and shots every game. At the very least, it makes us that much more predictable as a team and takes away from a merit-based system.

But to Deni, if he can just get that three ball down, he's going to be real, real good. I still think he can be really effective without launching threes, but man that will make him really dangerous. I also think playing to his strengths, instead of trying to make him into some 3 and D spot up shooter, is a good strategy for development which the team, somewhat begrudgingly, has slowly moved towards.

[DCZards]

Really like the strides Deni has made. It used to be that he struggled to finish at the rim but he's gotten much better in that area. Now when Deni attacks the basket I fully expect his shot to go in. His 3 ball certainly needs to improve and with time and hard work I can see that happening.

Of course, Deni's defense continues to be near elite and his playmaking skills are a real strength and asset. He does probably need to be given more opportunity as a playmaker...as others here have consistently argued.

Where I'd like to see improvement from Deni is in the midrange game. That shot is going to be there at times and you need to be able to make it. Right now, Deni looks very uncomfortable shooting anything other than threes or layups.

[Pistol King]

Love seeing his speed in the open court. He's got very good speed for someone his size and I wish he can learn how to capitalize his good rebounding ability, on the open court.

https://streamable.com/22wcea

I still think he should learn how to do a proper Euro step. He struggles to generate a longer side step when he attempts a Euro.

Another skill I'd like him to learn is change of speeds. He always attacks in one gear. Opposite to a similar sized Kuz who uses a lot of speed changes and side steps while driving. In general, the ability to do strong side steps and spin moves is something can open up a lot of his driving game, which is so far very basic (going right in one gear).

But above all, I'd like him to try much more and stop being afraid of making mistakes or missing shots. He's so focused on not making mistakes to the point he much more cares about not failing rather than actually succeeding. And it appears in every possession of him with the ball. Shifting this mindset can be huge for his further development.

[CntOutSmrtCrazy]

Really like the strides Deni has made. It used to be that he struggled to finish at the rim but he's gotten much better in that area. Now when Deni attacks the basket I fully expect his shot to go in. His 3 ball certainly needs to improve and with time and hard work I can see that happening.

Of course, Deni's defense continues to be near elite and his playmaking skills are a real strength and asset. He does probably need to be given more opportunity as a playmaker...as others here have consistently argued.

Where I'd like to see improvement from Deni is in the midrange game. That shot is going to be there at times and you need to be able to make it. Right now, Deni looks very uncomfortable shooting anything other than threes or layups.

Regarding the midrange comment, I've seen that too. Looks like he's spooked when he seems them. He's only taken a handful of them this season, but none of them have been pretty to look at.

[AFM]

Thoughts on starting Deni at PF? Suggestion from Locked On Wizards...