Damian Lillard talks how both him and Ja Morant told Deni Avdija to be their work horse and explains why Deni is nearly impossible to guard
They got Lazer, Blazer they got all kinds of Azers!!
Don’t forget his fitness consigliere, Me’shell
“Meet Blade, Meet Razor, This is Blazer” 😂😂😂
Lmaooo. Ball me Blazer 🤣🤣
Crazy what a team change does for some players.
Honestly he looked similar on the Wizards they just misused him and never prioritized his development for some BS reason like he was too old for the core they were building.
Everyone on the wiz subreddit is too cowardly to give our FO flack for trading away a future all-star
The vision finally ‘worked’ by landing Dybantsa, but no one else this regime has drafted is gonna be as good as Deni
Drafting Dybantsa wipes away a lot of flaws
You don’t think kyshawn george or sarr can be as impactful as Deni? Deni is 25 btw let’s see how they both are at 25
There are tons of Deni stans in the subreddit (like you) who didn’t understand how tanking works. Glad we moved him.
He was definitely showing signs of what he could become. Credit to Deni that he took those flashes and turned them into an elite player.
Change of scenery helps humans in general a lot
you know what else helps humans
It’s because the Wizards tried to play as a 3&D guy, something that never fit Deni. Sitting in the corner, waiting and waiting.
Deni Avdija led the Israeli youth team to two gold medals in the youth European championships (especially the second time).
He was simply a point-forward. He was never a high-volume great 3-point shooter guy; he was used to have the ball in his hands. He needed the ball in his hands to feel the game better, to have more confidence.
It’s impossible when you have Russell Westbrook (also Deni’s mentor in the Wizards) and Bradley Beal, who take much of the usage.
This is why Corey Kispert, a 3-point specialist (and also few years older than Deni) the Wizards drafted a year later, seemed like a better fit.
I always told the Wizards fans that 3&D isn’t his style, and I believed in Deni despite all the poor performances, because I saw how he improved each season and how hard he works. A lot of credit goes to the player development coach who became the Wizards’ head coach, Brian Keefe (who came from the Thunder).
I simply never understood how the Wizards needed a 3&D guy and drafted such a versatile player.
And when he started having a breakout season, they traded him… sigh.
I think it’s just the wizard team at that time. I remember Deni trying to tell Kuzma and some other guys something during a time out and they just brushed him off and literally laughed at him
Dame is one of the most well spoken players in the league
Yeah his speech skills are rly good even when he changes his tone during certain aspects of his vocalization
I wasn’t familiar with Deni until last year and bro he is just unstoppable going downhill. Like he’s a mismatch problem and it doesn’t matter who is guarding him he will get past you and either get fouled or score that thing. Been a big fan of his game sense then and yea he’s Portland #1 dude.
shoulder bump of doom
Same, wasn’t really familiar with his game until I saw Portland during the play-in, and he just looked unstoppable starting at the top then attacking the paint.
Found out last year after my wife’s coworker in our fantasy league was wrecking us with him
bigger guys are too slow
smaller guys aren’t physical enough
The comp seems strange but in terms of their effective game he’s a lot like peak lebron. Decent but not outstanding shooter, but impossible to stop on 1v1 drives and a very capable and willing passer.
This year he actually has shooters to kick it to
He’s also willing to get hit over and over and over again.
They don’t call him Jewbron for nothing
Who is they
Feel like prime Jimmy Butler is his best comparison imo, not as good at defense but a better shooter both really good all around players that excel at drawing contact and taking advantages of mismatches
Edit to add : I’ve always seen Jimmy as a Bron lite so the comparison still works but I just think this is more accurate to his ability.
He’s nothing like Jimmy butler, other than both get FTs. Deni is a less talented LeBron, but it’s his exact comp
Jimmy is a midrange king….and Deni can’t hit a midrange jumper to save his life.
Their shot selection couldn’t be more different lol
Jimmy is my favorite player OAT, I wouldn’t call him a midrange king. His best games are when he’s on fire from mid range sure, which is how he gets that kinda reputation, but he’s average at them overall if not below average. He mostly likes to drive and kick or just go through dudes for the finish. Maybe post up and bump inside to a little hook or shoot a fade over them which you can consider a middy but I consider a post shot.
Jimmy also has a much closer shot profile to LeBron (flip on y axis) than Deni, Deni is a bit different from both honestly. These are their shot charts from when Jimmy became a primary player(MIP year), when LeBron joined the Heat (to show more of his modern game) and when Deni joined the Blazers.
Jimmy : https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask?q=jimmy+butler+shot+chart+since+2014-2015
Deni : https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/deni-avdija-shot-chart-last-3-seasons
Lebron : https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask?q=lebron+james+shot+chart+since+2010-2011
If anything Jimmy is the most interior player of the 3 but he’s labeled the mid range scorer.
Edit : meant to reply to the other dude
A bit faster and probably a bit less strong, but definitely an apt comp. I don’t want to say he’s as good as prime Butler but he’s still just 25 and could get there.
It’s also similar in that going down hill he just lowers his shoulder and usually gets a foul call. I think players should try to beat him to a spot but then he’s a physical enough finisher that it doesn’t matter.
yeah, the size, speed and strength to finish through contact is a pretty rare combo
and it seems like he should be more out of control and beating him to the spot to draw charges should be more doable, but he’s very good at changes of direction and speed while also not heavily favoring either side of the basket.
Tough tough cover that really only gets shutdown by really slowing the game down, packing the paint and hoping his teammates don’t hit shots as you collapse on him
Unfortunately for Deni, the spurs are perfectly built to make this difficult in the post season.
I also think you could peel switch and meet him at the rim because he rarely pulls up for a midrange jumper.
Honestly reminds me of Hedo Türkoğlu a lot.
Sounds like what I’m hearing about Yaxel
I mean, he’s an amazing player, but what you just described is an MVP. I have faith he’ll continue to hone his skills and one day hit circus shots like Luka hah.
“He’s basically Luka if he didn’t have like 4 of Lukas most honed, elite skills but did have somewhat better versions of several of Lukas skills that he hadn’t really employed much since his sophomore year in the league” doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as well though
He’s basically Luka minus the insane shot making and passing lol
I’ve always admired Dame’s leadership here in Portland. He will definitely be a coach at some point.
Dame and CJ don’t need the money so I hope they can find a reason to stay around as commentators or coaches once they are done, some of the most thoughtful and well spoken basketball players of this era.
CJ would be an obviously awesome commentator because he’s so fucking smart and funny but I would love to hear Dame breaking shit down. The way Dame’s brain works with regard to basketball is just different. CJ would net you more “I’m trying Jennifer“s which I love but Lillard is special
This has been such an unexpected turn of events for me. When I used to talk about Deni he was just a role player on the wizards who I thought would be an elite defender i never would have expected any of this back then.😭
So this is why Nikola Jokic likes Deni… a workhorse ;)
Seriously, Deni’s quickness and speed for his size are really unique.
What I really like about Deni’s game is the fact that he does take criticism to heart, and so far, he has improved his game each season, and this is visible. This season, he is going to the lefty way more often, and his lefty finish looks better.
A lot of credit to the Blazers’ coaching staff for working with him on how to draw those fouls - that’s also a skill.
They better keep the blazers in Portland
He launches himself into defenders and gets free throws
Guys struggle to guard him clean, he does flop when he isn’t getting calls but most the time he is trying to score and not just flail around.
Just say you dont watch the games. Lmao
What a gross simplification
better him than Dame
Youre trying to be sarcastic but even if we were to take this and run with it. Being able to draw fouls and get contact is a part of being an elite offensive player. In reality his playstyle just leads to players fouling the shit out of him and he often does whatever he needs to do to sell that contact to the ref to get a foul
And it’s hurting the game. I hate it when he does it, or Shai or Luka or anyone.
SGA launches himself to the ground and gets FTs
It’s perfectly fair to be critical of all floppers
Deni is actually trying to score though.
People act like he’s just flopping and flailing like SGA or Luka, but Deni leads the leagues in And-ones
He’s more Giannis than those guys. He tries to go through you and score, hoping he gets the foul along the way. Obviously still seeking contact, but he is trying to actually make the basket, not just get FTs
To say those dudes aren’t trying to score as a justification for why it’s ok to root for your flopper is so weak. He’s not like Giannis because giannis isn’t snapping his head and overselling contact on 50%+ of his drives, he’s just bowling through dudes.
It’s always hilarious to me how fans who hate flopping suddenly make excuses for it once the best player on their team is a flopper. I hope I have more conviction than that but I guess I’ll never know until the wolves start flopping. I’d like to think I’d become less of a fan instead of digging in and making crap excuses like you
Tomato tomata
Welcome to the NBA today
He’s very talented and effecient at it. Making him a great offensive player.
If it was so easy why don’t everyone do it? Are they stupid?
You triggered all the deni fanboys
Cope a little harder
It usually works best when the defenders are displaced or packed into a tiny area with nowhere to escape. He’s really good at just abusing players who have nowhere to go and cannot rely on anyone for help.
Then many other stars in the league die the same thing by your definition
So you are calling Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray, and Nikola Jokic defenseless children?
That’s how bad you see the Nuggets’ defense these days, huh?
Aaron Gordon is still looking for Deni to this day
r/whoosh
I was being cynical.
The Nuggets look really bad so far, and unlike the past few seasons it’s not just the defense.
Just take the L dawg.
The Nuggets took it
Edit: It seems like the OP of the original comment took the L