NEW ORLEANS — Deni Avdija trudged, exhausted, toward the Washington Wizards’ bench after Wednesday night’s game ended. He grabbed a towel and lofted it to a fan in the stands. He slipped off the sleeve he had worn on his lower left arm and tossed it to another spectator.
Avdija held his head high as he left the court, never dipping his chin. Figuratively, the same could not be said in the aftermath of many of his previous 265 career games. If there’s been one constant to Avdija’s NBA career so far, it’s that no one has been tougher on Avdija than Avdija himself.
He might have finally turned a corner. In a performance teammates described as “relentless,” Avdija scored a career-high 43 points and gathered a season-high 15 rebounds in a narrow loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. It felt more like a springboard toward a new normal and less like a one-off fluke.
“It’s a little emotional,” Avdija said. “I never thought that, coming to the league, seeing all those numbers, those big players score those points, (I would be) able to be that hot. All the hard work, the times that I was down or I didn’t have good games — and I was down on myself a lot of times — I (stuck) with it. I kept working hard, I kept being patient. I went through a lot.
“And for me, it’s only the start. I feel like I’m still getting better. I’m still gonna be smarter, especially in crunchtime. I’m still not satisfied (with) how I’m playing in crunchtime. I still think I can take better shots and move the ball better. But honestly, hard work and patience do pay off.”
Remaining patient has been a challenge. The Wizards drafted him ninth overall in 2020, three picks before the Sacramento Kings selected Tyrese Haliburton and 12 spots before the Philadelphia 76ers chose Tyrese Maxey. Compared to those electric scorers and facilitators, Avdija has disappointed. With Washington, Avdija has served as a complementary player instead of a top option in his own right, watching as a long list of teammates — Bradley Beal, Kyle Kuzma, Kristaps Porziņģis, Rui Hachimura, Montrezl Harrell, Spencer Dinwiddie and Russell Westbrook, to name a few — finished possessions.
What Avdija has done better than perhaps everyone else on the team is defend. Former Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. often deployed the 6-foot-9, 210-pound forward to stymie opponents’ best offensive players, ranging from fleet-footed point guards like Maxey to bruising frontcourt players like the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Avdija’s uncommon defensive versatility and potential as a secondary playmaker continue to make him valuable. But throughout his first three seasons, his long-range shooting, finishing at the rim and confidence lagged. Rival scouts and opposing personnel evaluators shifted their assessments, viewing him less as an intriguing prospect and more as a role player on a good team.
Avdija, who turned 23 last month, has been new and improved this season. He unveiled a smoother, higher-arching 3-point shot, and has made a career-high 41 percent of his attempts from deep. Once timid on drives into the lane, Avdija now weaponizes his size and strength, often initiating contact with defenders to displace them from their guarding positions, create space for himself and draw fouls. His accuracy at the rim has skyrocketed; he has made 69 percent of his tries within five feet of the basket.
Recent changes under interim coach Brian Keefe have played into Avdija’s strengths. The Wizards have accelerated their already breakneck pace, pushing the ball upcourt at almost every opportunity. Keefe has put the ball into Avdija’s hands a bit more and increased Avdija’s minutes. In Washington’s previous three games — against the Boston Celtics, Sixers and Dallas Mavericks — Avdija averaged 23.2 points on 66 percent shooting and 10.3 rebounds per game.
“It’s his growth that’s finally getting to show, and we’re really proud of him,” teammate Corey Kispert said. “We’re going to continue to challenge him, too, from players and coaches and everybody.”
On Wednesday, in the Wizards’ final game before the All-Star break, it was Avdija who led everyone else. He set a new career-high point total midway through the third quarter. It was no coincidence that Kuzma, the Wizards’ leading scorer and highest-usage player, sat out the game because of a non-COVID-19 illness. With Kuzma sidelined, Avdija and everyone else had more opportunities. Avdija attacked the paint, welcomed contact from defenders and launched on-target 3s.
“He read the game well, and we put him in positions to take advantage of his quickness and his athleticism to the rim,” Keefe said. “But when the ball was kicked to him, he shot when he was open.”
Keefe also assigned Avdija to guard Zion Williamson, a Sisyphean task that Avdija often lost but approached with gusto. After nine lead changes and seven ties, the Wizards fell to Williamson’s Pelicans 133-126.
Williamson finished with 36 points, but everyone inside the Smoothie King Center already knew what Williamson was capable of doing.
Avdija’s performance was the revelation.
“It’s been a long four years for me, like ups and downs,” Avdija said afterward. “I’m sure I’m still going to have some downs, like every other basketball player. But seeing my growth and my teammates being here with me (through) all this process has been great. They’re pushing me. They’re looking for me. Without their push, honestly, I couldn’t be in that good of a stretch.”
After the game, many Wizards players rushed to leave the arena to begin their All-Star breaks. A few had awaiting flights to vacation spots. Rookie forward Bilal Coulibaly and team officials prepared to travel to Indianapolis for the Rising Stars Challenge exhibition game Friday night.
Avdija, as is his custom, was one of the last players to leave the locker room. He hugged Coulibaly and offered encouragement.
And then Avdija walked out of the arena’s loading dock and onto the team bus for the flight back to the Washington area. It looked like Avdija did not want the moment to end. But he also looked like he was anticipating the future. At that moment, for perhaps the first time in a long time, his future seems filled with wonderful possibilities.
(Top photo of Deni Avdija and Herb Jones: Stephen Lew / USA Today)
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
