OKC Thunder: NBA Draft big board 2.0 – Top 30 prospects
By Rylan Stiles
Deni Avdija, F, Israel, 6’8, 210 pounds, 19 years old
The Israeli forward presents a ton of upside. At just 19 years old, averaging seven points and four rebounds per contest while shooting 33 percent from downtown, no one truly knows what he can be.
On one hand, NBA scouts love that. The upside, the unknown, the mystery. It is how four-year college players fall in the draft, even to the second round, and become a key rotational player in the association but were passed up due to the lack of upside.
On the other hand, this could go south for whatever team elects to take the chance on Avdija. He is a quality playmaker for his size, he is not exactly the stretch big that everyone once thought he was.
His poor shooting from the floor, and the line, suggests that those 3-point numbers will not improve. He can not protect the rim and is not very athletic. With limited speed and leaping ability, he doesn’t have much to offer.
He can finish through contact while playing tremendous off-ball defense, he knows how and when to rotate, and understands the sport well.
The bright spot for Avdija is he embraces modern basketball. If he is not taking a 3-pointer, he is attempting to finish at the rim. If he could develop a consistent outside game, then he could be the prototypical stretch big that every team is searching for.
The issue is while he has a high ceiling, and could be something special, he has the lowest floor in this draft.