Deni Avdija was drafted at 9th overall by the Washington Wizards during the NBA Draft, and was the first player born in Israel ever to be drafted in the Top 10 of the NBA Draft.
Deni, who plays small forward, previously played for Maccabi Tele Aviv in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. Deni won the title with Maccabi this past season and won the Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP, making the youngest player to do so.
Deni finished the season averaging 12.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in the Israeli League. In the EuroLeague, Avdija averaged four points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 14.3 minutes per game.
In the Israeli Basketball Premier League Final that happened this past July, Avdija recorded five points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals to help Maccabi Tel Aviv defeat Maccabi Rishon LeZion, 86–81.
The Washington Wizards selected Deni at number 9 and some say was the biggest steal and the most underrated of the draft. The Wizards can see him have a chance to become not just a 3-and-D type of wing, but a guy who can also be a secondary playmaker as well. Great upside.
Many mock drafts had Deni going #5 to Cleveland. Wizards has some luck.
Wizards draft pick Deni Avdija says he learned English while playing ‘Call of Duty’ and watching ‘Drake and Josh’ and ‘iCarly.’ @BRGaming pic.twitter.com/z3VKQOBdvr
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 19, 2020
Best Player in Draft:
James WisemanSteal of Top Ten:
Deni AvdijaMid-1st Round All-Star:
Cole AnthonyLate Steal:
Payton PritchardSecond Round Gem:
Cassius Stanley#NBA #NBADraft— Sam Block (@theblockspot) November 19, 2020
Santiago Leon is the Founder and CEO of the Sports Cast. He covers NFL, NBA, and world soccer. He’s also founder of sleon productions, which he specializes in technology and serves clients with solutions to make their business grow.