4. Deni Avdija, Small Forward
Current Team: Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel)
A player that saw his draft stock start pretty high when the 2019-20 NBA regular season began is the Maccabi Tel Aviv 6-foot-9 small forward Deni Avdija. His draft stock mostly held firm since the beginning of the regular season, but his skill set and the value that he offers as the next ultra-hyped international draft lottery prospect recently came to the forefront.
The Luka Doncic comparison is going to continuously arise for Avdija. A comparison like that might not be entirely fair. Avdija is a different player than Doncic, and he’ll fill a vastly different role if he lands with the a team like the Chicago Bulls compared to the Dallas Mavericks. Avdija is not getting as much playing time in the EuroLeague as Doncic did before he entered the NBA Draft back in 2018.
Avdija is only 2.6 points per game, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.8 assists while playing in just over 11 minutes per game. There’s a better understanding of what Avdija could look like in a bigger role in the EuroLeague with his per 36 minutes numbers from last season. He averaged 21.9 points per 36 minutes, 8.5 rebounds, and just 0.7 turnovers during his 2018-19 season with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The three-point shooting is off to a slow start in terms of efficiency so far this season. But Avdija is just too good of a shooter from range to stick around the 30 percent mark for the entire regular season. It should works its way up to around 40 percent in due time.
What Bulls fans should really be following from Avdija is his efficient ability as a floor general and shot creator. He doesn’t turn the ball over much, shoots the ball efficiently when he’s creating his own looks, and his vision is improving with each passing year.