4) Why Deni Avdija is perfect fit with Chicago Bulls: Playmaking
One thing the Bulls undoubtedly lacked last season was playmaking. Chicago finished 23rd in the league with just 23.2 assists per game last season. Their leading passer, Tomas Satoransky (5.4 APG) is already 28 years old, and doesn’t project to be more than a role player in the long term. The Bulls’ young core needs a playmaker and another ball-handler next to flawed passers Coby White and Zach LaVine. Avdija is a prime candidate to slot in alongside Chicago’s young backcourt.
The Israeli 19-year old projects as a future point-forward in the NBA. In 2018-2019, Avdiija averaged just .7 APG in the Israeli Winner League. That number jumped to 2.6 APG in 2019-2020, and Avdija has looked even sharper as a passer since the return of Israeli basketball in June. During his first game back on June 21st, Avdija dropped 23 points, 7 REB, and 5 AST as Tel Aviv beat Maccabi Ashod 114-82.
He’s improved as a passer each season in the competitive EuroLeague, as well as international U-20 basketball. his continued improvement and talent in passing on one of basketball’s more competitive stages gives hope that he could blossom into a talented playmaking forward in the NBA.