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9. Washington Wizards: Deni Avdija, Maccabi Tel Aviv
Position: Forward

Analysis: I just said this with Toppin, but I cannot believe Avdija fell this far.

As a lengthy forward with uncanny playmaking ability for someone who's 6-foot-9, Avdija's ceiling is among the highest of any player in this class. His perimeter shooting raised some question marks and he still needs to put on size, but he has all the intangibles to be great in the league.

He gives the Wizards a promising piece for the future and will fit seamlessly next to guys like John Wall, Bradley Beal and Rui Hachimura.

Grade: A

https://ca.nba.com/news/nba-draft-2020-live-updates-instant-analysis-nba-draft-grades-lamelo-ball-anthony-edwards-james-wiseman-deni-avdija/bs6nm5ayo15z113wq5jjoaift





CBS sports


9. Washington Wizards: SF Deni Avdija, Israel

Most people I spoke with thought that Avdija was the best international prospect in this draft. I had Toppin ahead of Avdija, and many people in the NBA told me I was wrong for that. But here he was for the Wizards to grab him. There are some mixed reviews on Avdija coming from European scouts, but this makes sense because they probably weren't expecting him to be available. Grade: B+



https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2020-nba-draft-grades-pick-by-pick-results-tracker-and-analysis-for-completed-rounds-1-and-2/







SI.com

Washington Wizards: A

The Wizards were quietly one of the most entertaining teams in the league last season, and Deni Avdija should only add to the offensive excitement in the nation’s capital. Avdija is an exceptional playmaker for his size, and he should serve as a nice compliment to Rui Hachimura in the frontcourt. If John Wall returns to near his previous form in 2020-21, Washington could be home to a sneaky playoff contender.

https://www.si.com/nba/2020/11/19/nba-draft-grades-lamelo-ball






Yahoo.com

Washington Wizards

Grade: A

In: (9) Deni Avdija; (53) Cassius Winston; future second-round pick (from Oklahoma City)

Out: (37) Vít Krejčí

Avdija has a chance to be a top-three player in the draft, and the Wizards were fortunate he fell to them at No. 9. Washington needs wings (and a lot of other help) around Bradley Beal and John Wall, and Avdija could become a special one. Even at 19 years old, his professional experience overseas and keen understanding of the game — both as a playmaker and defender — should help him contribute right away.

Likewise, Winston was a no-brainer late in the second round. He may be undersized at the point guard position, but he is a skilled scorer and high-IQ playmaker who will bring a chip on his shoulder to D.C.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-draft-2020-grades-for-all-30-teams-from-philadelphias-success-to-houstons-failure-214040284.html

It's pointless to grade drafts immediately after the draft. That's like grading the mock drafts the day before draft day.

We don't know anything more about these players than we knew a week ago, so how can we possibly evaluate which teams did well and which teams didn't?

EDIT:
Sorry Thedragonking, I didn't mean to come off like I'm attacking you. It's just that post-draft grades have always been a pet peeve of mine.

nate33 wrote:It's pointless to grade drafts immediately after the draft. That's like grading the mock drafts the day before draft day.

We don't know anything more about these players than we knew a week ago, so how can we possibly evaluate which teams did well and which teams didn't?

EDIT:
Sorry Thedragonking, I didn't mean to come off like I'm attacking you. It's just that post-draft grades have always been a pet peeve of mine.

I beg to differ. I didn't know who Deni was until we drafted him.

I am ok with the grades. They are judging based on the info we have now.

Almost all of us were pissed when we drafted Vesely and he was a bust. The Cavs drafted Bennett at 1. Not hard to foresee how that would play out. MJ drafted Morrison at 3 i believe.

When multiple outlets are saying we made a good pick i am comfortable taking that as a good sign.

Thanks for putting this thread together, I was looking for something like this.

Nate, you're totally right but it's still fun. If the writers had any guts they would do a 4 year look back to see what they thought the grade was and what it turned out to be.

tontoz wrote:

nate33 wrote:It's pointless to grade drafts immediately after the draft. That's like grading the mock drafts the day before draft day.

We don't know anything more about these players than we knew a week ago, so how can we possibly evaluate which teams did well and which teams didn't?

EDIT:
Sorry Thedragonking, I didn't mean to come off like I'm attacking you. It's just that post-draft grades have always been a pet peeve of mine.

I beg to differ. I didn't know who Deni was until we drafted him.

I am ok with the grades. They are judging based on the info we have now.

Almost all of us were pissed when we drafted Vesely and he was a bust. The Cavs drafted Bennett at 1. Not hard to foresee how that would play out. MJ drafted Morrison at 3 i believe.

When multiple outlets are saying we made a good pick i am comfortable taking that as a good sign.

Those outlets are saying the picks are good/bad based on their mock drafts. But we have no way of knowing if their mock drafts are any good. Basically, they are just grading whether or not the real draft adhered to their totally subjective mock drafts.

Well last year the mocks said we reached on Rui, and the previous year they said we reached on Brown Jr, so that is atleast a small positive.

nate33 wrote:It's pointless to grade drafts immediately after the draft. That's like grading the mock drafts the day before draft day.

We don't know anything more about these players than we knew a week ago, so how can we possibly evaluate which teams did well and which teams didn't?

EDIT:
Sorry Thedragonking, I didn't mean to come off like I'm attacking you. It's just that post-draft grades have always been a pet peeve of mine.

all good bro

nate33 wrote:Those outlets are saying the picks are good/bad based on their mock drafts. But we have no way of knowing if their mock drafts are any good. Basically, they are just grading whether or not the real draft adhered to their totally subjective mock drafts.

It is pretty easy to google previous mock drafts. I just don't care enough to take the time to do it.

NBAdraft.net actually has all of their previous mocks listed on their website. They gave us a B+ for Deni btw

tontoz wrote:

nate33 wrote:Those outlets are saying the picks are good/bad based on their mock drafts. But we have no way of knowing if their mock drafts are any good. Basically, they are just grading whether or not the real draft adhered to their totally subjective mock drafts.

It is pretty easy to google previous mock drafts. I just don't care enough to take the time to do it.

NBAdraft.net actually has all of their previous mocks listed on their website. They gave us a B+ for Deni btw

I think we're talking about different things.

Sure, it would be nice to go back and grade the mock drafts from 2019, 2018, etc. I'm all for that. It's good fun.

I'm just saying it's pointless to evaluate how teams have performed in THIS draft because we have no metric for identify which picks are good and which are not other than totally subjective mock drafts. We can't evaluate this draft until some NBA games have been played.

Avdija - Hard to judge a player that I've never seen play. All I have are stats to look at, and I dont have a good point of reference to make any good judgement. I think many of us on the board are struggling with this. All I can say is that I hope the 'zards are right, and they've done their homework. I hope for the best for him and look forward to seeing him play. Hold judgement till I see him play and/or watch more youtube videos of him. Grade: ???
Winston - I've seen him play! I think he will help us and surprise many of us. He is smart, and I hope that he will do what it takes to be a success in the NBA. He needs to work on his conditioning, and build a better NBA body. I like the way he plays, and think he will be a good backup PG in the league, if he chooses to put in the work. Good value in the 2nd round. I actually would have picked him higher (before we traded down), so getting a 2nd rnd pick + Winston is a good trade. But, we lost Schofield. Should the grade for this pick be affected by that? I say yes. Basically, we traded down and got Winston, and traded Schofield for a 2nd in 2024. Admit the mistake (or fail in rolling the dice) on Schofield, and good move in pawning off to another team. Grade: B
Overall grade: ?? - I think a lot of us on the board are thinking this.

nate33 wrote:

tontoz wrote:

nate33 wrote:Those outlets are saying the picks are good/bad based on their mock drafts. But we have no way of knowing if their mock drafts are any good. Basically, they are just grading whether or not the real draft adhered to their totally subjective mock drafts.

It is pretty easy to google previous mock drafts. I just don't care enough to take the time to do it.

NBAdraft.net actually has all of their previous mocks listed on their website. They gave us a B+ for Deni btw

I think we're talking about different things.

Sure, it would be nice to go back and grade the mock drafts from 2019, 2018, etc. I'm all for that. It's good fun.

I'm just saying it's pointless to evaluate how teams have performed in THIS draft because we have no metric for identify which picks are good and which are not other than totally subjective mock drafts. We can't evaluate this draft until some NBA games have been played.

I guess we will have to agree to disagree. There have been plenty of times I thought a team, or this team, obviously blew it in the draft.

I remember before the 2011 draft we had a pre-draft poll on who we least wanted with the 6th pick. Vesely was the runaway winner in the poll. We knew even without seeing him in a NBA game.

My issue with the draft is, assuming Wall is healthy and the Wiz are playing for this year, who on that front court plays any defense . . . expecially assuming we resign Bertrans. Bryant/Wagner/Rui/Bertrans/Deni, where is there any hope of above average interior defense?

Well deserve A

nate is 100% right -- how can you judge a draft until you know how the players turn out? You can't.

OTOH, it's still nice to see a bunch of sources giving us an "A."

Sure beats the grades we've earned in a lot of previous drafts!

Better yet will be if they're right!

I can't judge Avdija at this point. Taking a guy projected top 5 at 9 seems like the right move. But his FT% causes me flashbacks of Vesley...

But nevertheless it does seem to me we botched the 2nd round.

If we were aiming for a PG later in the draft I would have targeted Tre Jones.

I'd give it a "C".

Grade C+

Notable Additions: Robin Lopez, Raul Neto, Deni Avdija, Anthony Gill

Notable Subtractions: None

Notable Re-signings: Davis Bertans

Davis Bertans' five-year, $80 million contract includes a partial guarantee on the fifth year, but that's still a shocking number for a player who might not even start for the Washington Wizards.

Practice those jumpers, kids. Bertans is proof it'll pay off.

Washington drafted over the top of Rui Hachimura by selecting Deni Avdija at No. 9. That's a great value, and Hachimura was nowhere near good enough as a rookie to dissuade the Wizards from selecting another combo forward who's best with the ball in his hands. Drafting for fit never works anyway.

Robin Lopez will help the Wizards on the defensive boards, and he'll generally be in the right place on defense. Maybe that's not worth $7.3 million on a one-year deal, but this team needs every ounce of defensive capability it can get from the 5.

Short on roster spots, the Wizards did about as well as they could here. The above-average grade says the Avdija selection helps more than the overpay for Bertans hurts.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2919509-grading-every-nba-teams-offseason-so-far

closg00 wrote:Grade C+

Notable Additions: Robin Lopez, Raul Neto, Deni Avdija, Anthony Gill

Notable Subtractions: None

Notable Re-signings: Davis Bertans

Davis Bertans' five-year, $80 million contract includes a partial guarantee on the fifth year, but that's still a shocking number for a player who might not even start for the Washington Wizards.

Practice those jumpers, kids. Bertans is proof it'll pay off.

Washington drafted over the top of Rui Hachimura by selecting Deni Avdija at No. 9. That's a great value, and Hachimura was nowhere near good enough as a rookie to dissuade the Wizards from selecting another combo forward who's best with the ball in his hands. Drafting for fit never works anyway.

Robin Lopez will help the Wizards on the defensive boards, and he'll generally be in the right place on defense. Maybe that's not worth $7.3 million on a one-year deal, but this team needs every ounce of defensive capability it can get from the 5.

Short on roster spots, the Wizards did about as well as they could here. The above-average grade says the Avdija selection helps more than the overpay for Bertans hurts.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2919509-grading-every-nba-teams-offseason-so-far

Sounds about right. Deni was the BPA and it made sense not to worry that he and Rui might be competing for minutes.

The Zards may have overpaid for Bertans but there were almost certainly several other teams willing to pay similar money for his services. By resigning Davis the FO sent an important message to the elder statesmen Wall and Beal...it planned for the Zards to be competitive and in the playoff chase.

Lopez is overpaid but he may turn out to be the smart short term move. Noel was the sexier choice and would have provided more ESPN-type highlights with his blocks and mobility. But there's evidence that Lopez may turn out to be the steadier, more dependable interior defender.

The one quibble I have is that the article fails to mention Winston. Cassius has a ton of potential and already has a lot of the tools and smarts that it takes to be a quality NBA PG. For that reason, I’d give the offseason a solid “B” rather than a “C+”.

Little topic switch here... from draft to off-season as a whole. & maybe from what draft grades did we get in the press to what grade do those of us here give the Wizards draft (& off season).

nate is obviously correct that we can't really grade our draft picks, or anyone's, until we see how they play. But, there is another reason this draft is hard to grade. & that is: I've never seen a draft like it!

Take a look at the last 8 picks, 53-60.

#53 - Cassius Winston -- if this kid had come out after his Sophomore or Junior seasons, he would have been a R1 pick. Take a look at his numbers for those years; he fell off a little bit this year. So what?

#54 - Cassius Stanley -- a one-n'-done player from arguably the best program in college basketball. Size & athleticism off the charts for his position. Did he put up great numbers as a Freshman? Not really. But I've seen a lot worse go a lot higher. Most years it wouldn't have been a huge surprise to see him go in the lottery!

#55 - Jay Scrubb -- Even this guy, a super-athlete Juco player, might easily have gone @#40.

#56 - Grant Riller -- this kid was mocked in R1 for much of the last several months.

#57 - Reggie Perry -- he was mocked in R1 for a while, & near the top of R2 for even longer. He's enormous & very athletic. Came out after his Sophomore year, but he is 7 months younger than Precious Achiuwa. I've never seen a similar prospect go in R2 at all, let alone this low.

#58 - Paul Reed -- mocked #19-24 much of the year. Terrific defender with great size & length.

#59 - Jalen Harris --mocked near the top of R2 & seemingly for good reasons.

#60 - Sam Merrill -- When's the last time the #60 pick in the draft shot 41% on almost 8 3 pt. attempts per 40 minutes while getting to the line 6 times & shooting 89.3% ??

I've never seen a draft anything like this one.

Avdija wasn't a bad pick and may very well turn out to be the right one. I preferred Haliburton but Avdija if he shot fixes pan out, could have a higher ceiling.

Cassius Winston was also a decent pick. At 53 your really can't expect much. I would have traded up from our 2nd round position not down and the other Cassius would have been my choice at 53 if I was going to pick there. I liked Cassius Stanley from Duke who Gilbert Arenas is a big fan of but expecting either player to have anything more than a cup of tea may be a stretch.

Grade: B- (I give - for not trading up slightly and getting another real solid prospect in the early 2nd round)

Dat2U wrote:Avdija wasn't a bad pick and may very well turn out to be the right one. I preferred Haliburton but Avdija if he shot fixes pan out, could have a higher ceiling.

Cassius Winston was also a decent pick. At 53 your really can't expect much. I would have traded up from our 2nd round position not down and the other Cassius would have been my choice at 53 if I was going to pick there. I liked Cassius Stanley from Duke who Gilbert Arenas is a big fan of but expecting either player to have anything more than a cup of tea may be a stretch.

Grade: B- (I give - for not trading up slightly and getting another real solid prospect in the early 2nd round)

This is exactly where I'm at too.

I really feel like it shouldn't have taken much to trade up from #37 to get Bey or Tillman who were just drafted. Just throw them $3M in cash or something.