Deni Avdija

[DCZards]

The bulls have picked Bobby Portis, Wendell Carter, Coby White, Denzel Valentine, and now Patrick Williams with their last 5 1st round picks. Does it get worse than that?

And obviously we don’t know how his career will turn out, that’s what this board it for, speculating, but I would encourage you to head over to the bulls board to read their reaction to the pick. Priceless.

Chicago has a new FO and a new coaching staff. So we can't blame (or credit) them for past draft picks just as we can't blame Shep for the picks made by EG.

Coby White turned 20 earlier this year and has a chance to be a good NBA player.

[payitforward]

You think they were willing to trade Brown to move up 5 spots? What an idea.... That would make no sense whatever -- & no team would turn that trade down.

My guess is that they asked for Brown and that's when we turned it down. We probably offered Wagner and a 2nd or something like that.

I knew it! I called it before the draft. I suggested based on Shepp's past track record, he loves Avdija and wants to trade up for him. I wish I could find that post lol.

I think you were responding to the one in which I said the same thing first....

[Ruzious]

My guess is that they asked for Brown and that's when we turned it down. We probably offered Wagner and a 2nd or something like that.

I knew it! I called it before the draft. I suggested based on Shepp's past track record, he loves Avdija and wants to trade up for him. I wish I could find that post lol.

I think you were responding to the one in which I said the same thing first....

This is what I posted on 9/10/19:

Deni Avdija is the obvious target for the Wiz - depending on how his 3 point shot looks. And Jalen Smith is someone to follow - also depending on how his 3 point shot develops. But can Stix play with Rui? Right now -no, but I don't want to say that can't change. I see Smith becoming one of the most dynamic players in college next season.

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=1872549&p=78378423&hilit=avdija#p78378423

[NatP4]

Jalen Smith has looked really good in preseason. I think he’s going to be a great player. I love picks 5-12 more than the top 4 by a WIDE margin.

[prime1time]

I like Williams. The dude is so young and is already a solid player. He projects as an elite defender that can guard 1-4 and small ball 5's and he has the tools to grow offensively. He just turned 19. I would have been happy if he fell to us. In the right environment, he can develop into a really good 2-way player.

No he doesnt. It may sound like semantics, but people seem to use the term "Elite Defender" when a guy simply looks versatile. There is a difference.
Patrick Williams is young and appears to have a good head on his shoulders... But he is simply a above average athlete with average measurements and limited skill. I think there is some projection as a C&S guy from 3, but his ball handling/skill is limited and his awareness on both ends of the court are pedestrian (See rebounds and AST/TOV ratio)

Is that your opinion? Please don’t conflate your opinion with fact. Because everything that I've read about him confirms what I wrote.

Read on Twitter

?s=20

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

You’re trying to tell me a wing player that has the foot speed to stay in front of Cole Anthony while also blocking shots at the rim is only above average? Good thing you're not a GM. By your logic, Andrew Wiggins should be an elite defender...Deni's an above-average defender. Williams will be a better defender than him if the Bulls coach him up. Also, your projection of his offense is inadequate because we have seen wings in the past come in with limited skills and grow and develop into solid offensive players. You can disagree with what the Bulls are trying to do but I don’t understand passing off your opinion as fact. He does project as an elite defender who can compete for All-NBA defense. And offense can improve. If he develops into what they hope it will be a great pick. I think the idea is for him to be more than a catch and shoot 3 and D guy. I’ve seen him take players off the dribble and pull up for midrange jumpers off the dribble. You can disagree with it but they see Kawhi/PG/Butler. And in a switch everything, small ball league a defender that can guard guards on the wing while also contest shots at the rim is ELITE. Is he going to be Rudy Gobert blocking shots? No. But he can do it which is more than I can say for either Rui or Deni. And that will hurt us defensively. And cap how good our defense can ultimately be.

[Ruzious]

So Patrick Williams has a chance to be a good defender/ordinary offensive player by the time his rookie contract expires and he becomes a free agent. Is that really what you're looking for with the 4th pick?

[prime1time]

So Patrick Williams has a chance to be a good defender/ordinary offensive player by the time his rookie contract expires and he becomes a free agent. Is that really what you're looking for with the 4th pick?

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=ChicagoBulls
What are you talking about? You make him sound like Bonga. He's already taking defenders off the dribble, pulling up for mid-range jumpers, knocking down 3's, leading the fast break, coming off elbow pindowns, . Have you seen him play? I'd have loved Williams for the Wiz. A lot of uninformed takes in this thread. And he just turned 19. He's well-deserving of #4. He has shown more offensive skill than Deni has in preseason and projects as a better defender. I love Deni but it makes no sense to slander Patrick. I would have loved Pat on this team and I look forward to following his career.

Now back to Advija...

[Ruzious]

So Patrick Williams has a chance to be a good defender/ordinary offensive player by the time his rookie contract expires and he becomes a free agent. Is that really what you're looking for with the 4th pick?

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=ChicagoBulls
What are you talking about? You make him sound like Bonga. He's already taking defenders off the dribble, pulling up for mid-range jumpers, knocking down 3's, leading the fast break, coming off elbow pindowns, . Have you seen him play? I'd have loved Williams for the Wiz. A lot of uninformed takes in this thread. And he just turned 19. He's well-deserving of #4.

Please tell me you're not trying to convince me with a few highlights. Why didn't the highlights show his 12 turnovers vs 2 assists in the preseason?

Btw, didn't you just tell another poster "Please don’t conflate your opinion with fact."?

[Kanyewest]

I have to figure it was TBJ. I don't think they would have traded Rui (considering the international ties and the fact we don't have a PF on the roster besides him).

Bulls must have PTSD from Porter and/or Satoransky Wizards glue guys if they turned down that trade.

You think they were willing to trade Brown to move up 5 spots? What an idea.... That would make no sense whatever -- & no team would turn that trade down.

There are bad GMs in the league both on the internet and in real life.

But yeah I think the Bulls suggested a trade offer- and the Wizards turned it down- and it's not like thesource says the Wizards tried to trade up with any other team from 5-9.

[adalp]

That’s fair, but really the only thing he didn’t do well is shoot 3s. 59.6% on 2s and 10 points 6.6 rebounds 3 assists 1 steal with 1.8 turnovers per36. Pretty good stuff for a 19 year old in the 2nd best league in the world.

He just chucked a bunch of 3s and didn’t make very many.

And he fouled a lot relative to his minutes. And he didn't force Free Throws. And he missed half the FT's he took. His Euro stats were really unimpressive compared to his Israeli league play.

There’s really no reason to compare those two leagues or his role with either team, I was comparing his euroleague stats to Patrick Williams in college basketball playing against North Alabama, whatever that is.

I don't think you can compare euroleague and NCAA stats. Ignoring the fact that Avdija had to play against veteran euroleague players, most of the time he wasn't even considered part of the rotation (until the last season).
Better indication would be the under 20 european championship where he played against the best european players his age. He finished as MVP averaging 18.4 pts, 8.3 reb and 5.3 assists.

[Pistol King]

His BBIQ and feel for the game is top notch.

Even I as a fan of his, was surprised by how smart he played against Phily on the defensive end on his first official NBA game. I counted at least 15 great defensive plays by him when he rotated and covered other players at a perfect timing, came to help in the right timing on Simmons and Embiid, put pressure and forced tough shots, and if you noticed, Phily have made most of their runs when he was off the court, and it also appears on the box score when he finished the game with a +14 plus minus, the highest among the team. He's so impress me because he now play a role that doesn't make the best out of him as he's much better when get involved in the offensive end, taking much more shots and facilitate some offense and as a result gain more confidence, but he still find ways to be positive and valuable. He could probably be more dominant playing with the second unit, but I think he's too valuable defensively for this current roster to come oof the bench right now. He works non stop defensively. I can just hope when he gains more confidence playing alongside Beal and Russ he will start to demanding the ball more and be more in attacking mode.

2-2 from 3pt tonight and could have 1-2 more assists with a better finishing of Russ and Bryant. He had a few minutes on the third quarter when I thought he was terrific to the point even Brooks was smiling, a pass to Beal, then made a 3, then had a steal and a few good rebounds (including a box out on Embiid) while running the break and put excellent pressure on defense. I can't wait to see him gaining confidence taking more on himself offensively.

--------

Lol, Quinton Mayo just posted some of those third quarter moments I was talking about:

Read on Twitter

[Dark Faze]

The Bulls are a mess but Patrick Williams is going to be a star and maybe one of the last guys standing in a Bulls uni in 5 years.

Deni's ceiling is completely dependent on how aggressive he is about improving his ball handling and creating abilities. If he can be a primary ball handler, then I see Ben Simmons with an outside jumpshot.

[doclinkin]

His BBIQ and feel for the game is top notch.

Even I as a fan of his, was surprised by how smart he played against Phily on the defensive end on his first official NBA game. I counted at least 15 great defensive plays by him when he rotated and covered other players at a perfect timing, came to help in the right timing on Simmons and Embiid, put pressure and forced tough shots, and if you noticed, Phily have made most of their runs when he was off the court, and it also appears on the box score when he finished the game with a +14 plus minus, the highest among the team. He's so impress me because he now play a role that doesn't make the best out of him as he's much better when get involved in the offensive end, taking much more shots and facilitate some offense and as a result gain more confidence, but he still find ways to be positive and valuable. He could probably be more dominant playing with the second unit, but I think he's too valuable defensively for this current roster to come oof the bench right now. He works non stop defensively. I can just hope when he gains more confidence playing alongside Beal and Russ he will start to demanding the ball more and be more in attacking mode.

2-2 from 3pt tonight and could have 1-2 more assists with a better finishing of Russ and Bryant. He had a few minutes on the third quarter when I thought he was terrific to the point even Brooks was smiling, a pass to Beal, then made a 3, then had a steal and a few good rebounds (including a box out on Embiid) while running the break and put excellent pressure on defense. I can't wait to see him gaining confidence taking more on himself offensively.

--------

Lol, Quinton Mayo just posted some of those third quarter moments I was talking about:

Read on Twitter

Yeah as a guy who fussed when he was selected, Deni is becoming my favorite player on the team. He plays like a professional at both ends, plays a low ego team game where calls his own number and makes it his responsibility on defense then plays a team game on offense. Watching that sequence live I was cheering his every rotation, "yeah kid! Yeah, kid! YEAH". On offense he and his teammates need to learn their comfort zone with each other. He needs to figure out where they want the ball when he passes to them to give them the half step to gather before they can rise to dunk. But seeing a player who comes into the league understanding defense and positioning, had me standing up off my couch with my kid asking if everything is okay. Yes babe, the wizards just finally drafted someone who plays defense, I know you're not used to me cheering while watching.

[prime1time]

So Patrick Williams has a chance to be a good defender/ordinary offensive player by the time his rookie contract expires and he becomes a free agent. Is that really what you're looking for with the 4th pick?

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=ChicagoBulls
What are you talking about? You make him sound like Bonga. He's already taking defenders off the dribble, pulling up for mid-range jumpers, knocking down 3's, leading the fast break, coming off elbow pindowns, . Have you seen him play? I'd have loved Williams for the Wiz. A lot of uninformed takes in this thread. And he just turned 19. He's well-deserving of #4.

Please tell me you're not trying to convince me with a few highlights. Why didn't the highlights show his 12 turnovers vs 2 assists in the preseason?

Btw, didn't you just tell another poster "Please don’t conflate your opinion with fact."?

Tbh, I don’t care enough. You win.

[prime1time]

Will be interesting to see how Deni's role changes over the course of the season. I feel like Brooks needs to be more proactive at calling plays for him. Otherwise, other players might gobble up possessions. He only got 2 shots yesterday and that was without Rui.

[Ruzious]

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=ChicagoBulls
What are you talking about? You make him sound like Bonga. He's already taking defenders off the dribble, pulling up for mid-range jumpers, knocking down 3's, leading the fast break, coming off elbow pindowns, . Have you seen him play? I'd have loved Williams for the Wiz. A lot of uninformed takes in this thread. And he just turned 19. He's well-deserving of #4.

Please tell me you're not trying to convince me with a few highlights. Why didn't the highlights show his 12 turnovers vs 2 assists in the preseason?

Btw, didn't you just tell another poster "Please don’t conflate your opinion with fact."?

Tbh, I don’t care enough. You win.

We just have different opinions - which is perfectly fine.

[payitforward]

Bulls must have PTSD from Porter and/or Satoransky Wizards glue guys if they turned down that trade.

You think they were willing to trade Brown to move up 5 spots? What an idea.... That would make no sense whatever -- & no team would turn that trade down.

There are bad GMs in the league both on the internet and in real life.

But yeah I think the Bulls suggested a trade offer- and the Wizards turned it down- and it's not like thesource says the Wizards tried to trade up with any other team from 5-9.

I didn't mean to question the idea that we tried to trade up. But, offering a very promising player whom we drafted @#15 2 years ago & turned 21 a few months ago in return for moving up 4 spots in the draft...? No. I don't think we did that.

[dckingsfan]

His BBIQ and feel for the game is top notch.

Even I as a fan of his, was surprised by how smart he played against Phily on the defensive end on his first official NBA game. I counted at least 15 great defensive plays by him when he rotated and covered other players at a perfect timing, came to help in the right timing on Simmons and Embiid, put pressure and forced tough shots, and if you noticed, Phily have made most of their runs when he was off the court, and it also appears on the box score when he finished the game with a +14 plus minus, the highest among the team. He's so impress me because he now play a role that doesn't make the best out of him as he's much better when get involved in the offensive end, taking much more shots and facilitate some offense and as a result gain more confidence, but he still find ways to be positive and valuable. He could probably be more dominant playing with the second unit, but I think he's too valuable defensively for this current roster to come oof the bench right now. He works non stop defensively. I can just hope when he gains more confidence playing alongside Beal and Russ he will start to demanding the ball more and be more in attacking mode.

2-2 from 3pt tonight and could have 1-2 more assists with a better finishing of Russ and Bryant. He had a few minutes on the third quarter when I thought he was terrific to the point even Brooks was smiling, a pass to Beal, then made a 3, then had a steal and a few good rebounds (including a box out on Embiid) while running the break and put excellent pressure on defense. I can't wait to see him gaining confidence taking more on himself offensively.

--------

Lol, Quinton Mayo just posted some of those third quarter moments I was talking about:

Read on Twitter

Great post - post more. Yeah, he could have had 3 more assists in that one sequence, missed that while watching.

[tontoz]

Yeah I was like when he knocked embiid on his ass. That was some old school s***.

[Jimmy Recard]

His defense is so much better than I expected.

Regarding his offense, do we bring him off the bench when Rui’s back? He’s way too skilled to be relegated to being a spot up shooter with the occasional play called for him, which is what he’ll be with Russ and Beal dominating the ball.

Deni/Bertans/TBJ would do damage against other benches.