Turning to more of a position of need, the Chicago Bulls should really be seeking out what Maccabi Tel Aviv 6-foot-9 small forward Deni Avdija could do for them. Avdija is turning into the next ultra-hyped up international prospect for the NBA Draft, along with the 6-foot-5 French point guard Killian Hayes.
A good shooter and facilitator with great physical tools, Avdija brings a lot to the table to get excited about. The reviews still aren’t great across the board for Avdija, though. There will always be question marks surrounding the translation of the game of a prospect like Avdija. Consistency in shooting might be a looming question mark for Avdija too.
There was a bad dip in the three-point shooting percentage of Avdija with Maccabi Tel Aviv this season compared to last. His three-point shooting percentage went down from 50 percent last season to 27.7 this year. He took less than two three-point attempts per game in each of the last two seasons, so the sample size isn’t all that great.
A less vetted scouting process domestically allows for a higher bust rate of international prospects than those coming from the college ranks.
But Avdija averaged 4.0 points per game, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, while also shooting 43.6 percent from the field. The numbers that Avdija posted in Israel per 36 minutes last season is what a team like the Bulls that could draft him should be looking to recapture.