Deni Avdija

[boogie-reke]

And another thing he really needs to work on, is the strength/touch of his one-handed passes.

They always seem to be without enough velocity and strength and always arrive just short and not into the shooting motion, and always at a risk of being picked off.

[Frichuela]

I will repeat again that the thing that holds him back the most is strictly his ball handling and sophistication in his dribble.

Right now, his ball security is pretty bad - you could see that whenever he’s even slighty pressured as he runs the ball up the court - heck, even when he’s all alone running the fast break you could see how out of control his dribble is, and how high and loose he brings the ball.

Deni is a smart guy, he’s a sponge - and you can clearly see he sees things on the court, but right now the gap between what his mind sees and wants to do - and what his technique and skill-level allows him to is evidently wide.

I think the way he’s being brought up offensively is perfect for him - running him through screens to the elbows initiating PNR situations where he has to read/react : Drive hard to his right hand, Find the lob, or dish to a shooter.

Last night he was given more chances to bring the ball up as well to allow Beal to work off the ball, but even then we saw that the one time he tried to do what his mind wanted and actually go coast to coast (something that as he improves his handle should be a clear weapon for him but not right now) - he immediately cuffed it up with minimal pressure due to his poor ball security.

The sooner he’ll understand that he needs to completely revamp his dribble the better - because it’s not just about ball security, but being sophisticated enough to get to your spots on the court - and again right now he has a very stiff and vanilla dribble/ball handling that prevents him from executing what he reads or what his mind wants him to be doing.

Once he works on that - and I think it should take 1-2 summers, it will really unlock his full potential and make him shine, because his unselfishness, IQ and playmaking are shown in extremely limited packages right now.

Agreed. Good post. Fair criticism. His ball handling is clearly in need of improvement, particularly using his left hand. Actually, his ball handling is going to take a few years to get to where it should be, which should bode well for offering Deni a reasonable (and not too expensive) extension into his 2nd contract.

[Dolevi]

Agree with Boogie. Also must improve his left hand's abilities. Ball Handling with it, layups in left, and yes overall what you said. The positive thing is that i think these are things which can improve over time and hard work. And he has that work method. And as being said, he has all the other unique abilities of playmaking the game. It's just a matter of time for him until he fulfills his potential. I do love the way he played last night and was agressive and assartive. Took a lot of shots and i think someone told him to do so in the coaching staff.

[tontoz]

In December he averaged 14 pts per 36 with a TS of 59%. That is a big win for a guy that started the season scared to shoot and missing layups.

[nate33]

I will repeat again that the thing that holds him back the most is strictly his ball handling and sophistication in his dribble.

Right now, his ball security is pretty bad - you could see that whenever he’s even slighty pressured as he runs the ball up the court - heck, even when he’s all alone running the fast break you could see how out of control his dribble is, and how high and loose he brings the ball.

Deni is a smart guy, he’s a sponge - and you can clearly see he sees things on the court, but right now the gap between what his mind sees and wants to do - and what his technique and skill-level allows him to is evidently wide.

I think the way he’s being brought up offensively is perfect for him - running him through screens to the elbows initiating PNR situations where he has to read/react : Drive hard to his right hand, Find the lob, or dish to a shooter.

Last night he was given more chances to bring the ball up as well to allow Beal to work off the ball, but even then we saw that the one time he tried to do what his mind wanted and actually go coast to coast (something that as he improves his handle should be a clear weapon for him but not right now) - he immediately cuffed it up with minimal pressure due to his poor ball security.

The sooner he’ll understand that he needs to completely revamp his dribble the better - because it’s not just about ball security, but being sophisticated enough to get to your spots on the court - and again right now he has a very stiff and vanilla dribble/ball handling that prevents him from executing what he reads or what his mind wants him to be doing.

Once he works on that - and I think it should take 1-2 summers, it will really unlock his full potential and make him shine, because his unselfishness, IQ and playmaking are shown in extremely limited packages right now.

He has already improved on his left hand quite a bit. But, yes, he has more work to do.

He's only 20 though. I think he is in great shape.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

I will repeat again that the thing that holds him back the most is strictly his ball handling and sophistication in his dribble.

Right now, his ball security is pretty bad - you could see that whenever he’s even slighty pressured as he runs the ball up the court - heck, even when he’s all alone running the fast break you could see how out of control his dribble is, and how high and loose he brings the ball.

Deni is a smart guy, he’s a sponge - and you can clearly see he sees things on the court, but right now the gap between what his mind sees and wants to do - and what his technique and skill-level allows him to is evidently wide.

I think the way he’s being brought up offensively is perfect for him - running him through screens to the elbows initiating PNR situations where he has to read/react : Drive hard to his right hand, Find the lob, or dish to a shooter.

Last night he was given more chances to bring the ball up as well to allow Beal to work off the ball, but even then we saw that the one time he tried to do what his mind wanted and actually go coast to coast (something that as he improves his handle should be a clear weapon for him but not right now) - he immediately cuffed it up with minimal pressure due to his poor ball security.

The sooner he’ll understand that he needs to completely revamp his dribble the better - because it’s not just about ball security, but being sophisticated enough to get to your spots on the court - and again right now he has a very stiff and vanilla dribble/ball handling that prevents him from executing what he reads or what his mind wants him to be doing.

Once he works on that - and I think it should take 1-2 summers, it will really unlock his full potential and make him shine, because his unselfishness, IQ and playmaking are shown in extremely limited packages right now.

He has already improved on his left hand quite a bit. But, yes, he has more work to do.

He's only 20 though. I think he is in great shape.

It’s hard for me to project his upside. Obviously, he is already an elite on ball defender. His rebounding is good too. His shooting has improved, but I wonder what the ceiling is in that regard. He needs to be completely square when he shoots. When he has an absolutely open look, he does pretty well. But I don’t know how he gets better at shooting off the dribble or hitting contested shots unless his form changes.

[Runner300]

Jack of trades, substitute with positive team value.
He will probably never be a great shooter or an elite ball handler.
More like an improved version of Kyle Kuzma, with a defensive orientation.

[dckingsfan]

Until he gets that 3 figured out he won't be a 3&D. I think he will get there - but I don't know about this year.

[closg00]

I have lost count of the number of times I have seen Deni get out on a break with the ball, but can rarely finish with a bucket because of his ball-handling, other defenders quickly catch-up and he always has to find someone to dish the ball to when his teammates catch-up.
In addition, Deni is a very shaky shooter (good to see him take a lot more attempts yesterday). Deni should have been FT in the G-League for development IMO.

[tontoz]

I definitely think he needs to be more selective taking 3s. When he is open with time then sure. But when he has to rush it seems like his accuracy drops significantly.

His production as a starter has been awful (small sample obviously). In 5 games as a starter he has a TS of 37%. I think this just confirms that the bench role is best for him this season.

[Dark Faze]

The scary thing about Deni is by and large he's mostly only tried to take the highest efficiency shots possible and he's still bad. That's not a good look. I think his offense will be bad throughout the entirety of his rookie contract. It's just a matter of if the other things he's doing well are good enough to keep him with us beyond that.

[tontoz]

The scary thing about Deni is by and large he's mostly only tried to take the highest efficiency shots possible and he's still bad. That's not a good look. I think his offense will be bad throughout the entirety of his rookie contract. It's just a matter of if the other things he's doing well are good enough to keep him with us beyond that.

Just last month he had a TS of 59% averaging 14 pts per 36. I think there is reason for optimism but i also think he isn't ready for 30+ minutes as a starter.

[smoothSeph]

Read on Twitter

?s=21

Deni’s ceiling is looking lower and lower by the day unfortunately. I can find local high schoolers with a more developed offensive skill set.

[prime1time]

The Avdija criticism while unsurprising is disappointing. When I criticized Avdija earlier in the year it's because he was playing scared and avoiding opportunities. Now people are criticizing him not for passivity but a lack of success. He just turned 21 years old. He's going to struggle. The key barometers for Avdija are not whether or he's a "good player," but whether or not he's showing improvement. The difference between Avdija last year and Avdija this year are night and day. And the fact that he has enough confidence to go out, make mistakes and learn from them bodes very well for himself going forward. Avdija will be just fine.

[Dolevi]

Agree with Prime. He's now mistaking and learning each game about the NBA, unlike last year. This is actually his "rookie year". He needs time to work on his offense, he'll have the summer and he's still young. Right now i think he needs some rest (1-2 games out to gain some energy, he plays each game). But i do love to see him trying and take the ball. He needs to shoot less 3's and be more agressive going to the rim, but overall he is a lot more active than passive in offense and that's an improvement for me and that way he'll get better. I do think the potential is there but this year we won't see him shine there. For the protocol, i agree that right now, offcourse you can find high schoolers with a more developed offensive skill set. No doubt.

[Dolevi]

I have lost count of the number of times I have seen Deni get out on a break with the ball, but can rarely finish with a bucket because of his ball-handling, other defenders quickly catch-up and he always has to find someone to dish the ball to when his teammates catch-up.
In addition, Deni is a very shaky shooter (good to see him take a lot more attempts yesterday). Deni should have been FT in the G-League for development IMO.

I think G league will do good for him.

[smoothSeph]

The Avdija criticism while unsurprising is disappointing. When I criticized Avdija earlier in the year it's because he was playing scared and avoiding opportunities. Now people are criticizing him not for passivity but a lack of success. He just turned 21 years old. He's going to struggle. The key barometers for Avdija are not whether or he's a "good player," but whether or not he's showing improvement. The difference between Avdija last year and Avdija this year are night and day. And the fact that he has enough confidence to go out, make mistakes and learn from them bodes very well for himself going forward. Avdija will be just fine.

I feel like the only 21 case can be a cop out at times. By this age, even if it’s not consistent, players show you glimpses of their offensive potential.

The mistakes I want to see are through him growing his game. Attacking the close out going left when the opportunity is there, finishing at the basket with your left or a pull up jumper if the defense gives you it. I don’t think anyone would be upset if those were the mistakes he were making. The past few games Deni has been taking a lot of contested long jumpers. Not only is that not his game, it shows how uncomfortable he still is at attacking a defense.

At 21, nearly 100 games in Deni’s career high in points is 20. Now I’m not giving up on him being a solid all around player. But I don’t think he’s the must keep player that others are making him out to be. At the end of the day it’s an offensive league.

[Bonscott]

For the life of me I don't get the Deni love he's almost as big of a clown as the one residing in the White House

[closg00]

The Avdija criticism while unsurprising is disappointing. When I criticized Avdija earlier in the year it's because he was playing scared and avoiding opportunities. Now people are criticizing him not for passivity but a lack of success. He just turned 21 years old. He's going to struggle. The key barometers for Avdija are not whether or he's a "good player," but whether or not he's showing improvement. The difference between Avdija last year and Avdija this year are night and day. And the fact that he has enough confidence to go out, make mistakes and learn from them bodes very well for himself going forward. Avdija will be just fine.

Why? These are facts and observations. This is feeling like Jan Vesely all over again, wishing/hoping a high-drafted foreign player is going to develop a set of offensive tools that players taken after him already have and are contributing more now while we wait and hope. The best that we can hope-for with Deni is that he will at-least be able to knock-down those open looks at a good clip, making him a decent role-player off the bench who can defend while not being an offensive liability, but that would make him a decent late-round/early 2nd round pick. We would kill to have 11th pick Devin Vassell on our team right now.

Watch on YouTube

[badinage]

For the life of me I don't get the Deni love he's almost as big of a clown as the one residing in the White House

Deciding what, exactly, to do with this … or whether to do anything at all. Hm.