{"id":19707,"date":"2020-06-28T14:23:16","date_gmt":"2020-06-28T14:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/?p=19707"},"modified":"2020-06-28T14:23:16","modified_gmt":"2020-06-28T14:23:16","slug":"starting-5-deni-avdijas-iq-here-comes-pargo-floor-generals-ben-tzvi-thomasson-almeida-agada-wrapping-up-gameday-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/en\/starting-5-deni-avdijas-iq-here-comes-pargo-floor-generals-ben-tzvi-thomasson-almeida-agada-wrapping-up-gameday-23\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting 5: Deni Avdija’s IQ, Here Comes Pargo, Floor Generals Ben Tzvi & Thomasson, Almeida & Agada! Wrapping up Gameday 23"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lots of storylines this past Gameday in Israel basketball action, so let\u2019s get underway with The Starting 5!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Deni Avdija in his first game with Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Hapoel Eilat September 2017 – Dov Halickman Photography<\/p><\/div>
\n1) How can we not begin with Deni Avdija?<\/strong> The 2020 NBA Draft Lottery prospect has done everything in his power the last two games to raise the level of his stock and he\u2019s certainly done that without exception. But it\u2019s not just the stats line that has been impressive, it is absolutely everything around his play, from his body build to his improved mechanics and techniques on the court. What has been so special for me is to be able to see him grow up before my eyes over the past few years. Literally. From his senior team debut in Eilat, to his traveling with the team to some Euroleague away games to now finding a complete package is just staggering.
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Deni Avdija this week vs Hapoel Holon – Dov Halickman Photography<\/p><\/div>
\nI want to share a quote from Jake Cohen<\/a> when I asked him about what he sees as changes in Avdija since returning from the break, \u201cI think he\u2019s playing really well I think he\u2019s playing slower, which sounds like a bad thing but I think it\u2019s great. He\u2019s taking his time and making really good decisions. He rushed a bit in the past to try to get home runs, now he\u2019s taking the game a bit slower and he\u2019s taking what they give him. He has been playing great and is a huge asset for us.\u201d If you read that quote it kind of tells you exactly where Deni is in his game, taking things slower and not looking to hit a home run. His basketball IQ was high before the league came to halt in March, now it\u2019s even higher.
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Dov Halickman Photography<\/p><\/div>
\n2) How critical will the addition of Jeremy Pargo be to Hapoel Jerusalem? That\u2019s the question that everyone around the Israeli basketball world has been asking. It\u2019s clear that Coach Oded Katash needs another guard especially with the loss of both Shelvin Mack and J\u2019Covan Brown who were big time offensive threats. However, Tamir Blatt has played extremely well<\/a> since the return to play after the break and that fact can\u2019t be discounted. But honestly, Jerusalem needs another major weapon in the holster and Pargo is exactly that. Katash<\/strong> knows what the 3x Maccabi Tel Aviv guard can offer his capital city squad as they continue to change the way they play on the court. He also realizes that Pargo gems with plenty of Israeli league experience which will also be a huge help going forward and his learning curve will not be as steep as other players, \u201cWe are still in the process of learning and Pargo will bring some balance to the team. Pargo is familiar with the European style of play and has many years of experience as well in this league.\u201d Tamir Blatt<\/strong> had a funny anecdote about Pargo as well following the team\u2019s win on over Rishon, \u201cI\u2019m excited to have Pargo here. In fact, I played against him when I was in 7th grade when he was a played with my father David at Maccabi.\u201d So not only is Tamir looking forward to playing with Pargo I believe we\u2019re all waiting to see Pargo strut his stuff and perhaps that will occur for a bit on Monday night when Jerusalem faces Maccabi in Tel Aviv. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m loving what I\u2019m seeing from 3 teams, Hapoel Eilat, Nahariya and Hapoel Beer Sheva. All three have won both of their games since getting back to action and have all looked good as well. Sure each team had a bit of a challenge but they all figured out how to pull out a win. <\/strong>
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Dov Halickman Photography<\/p><\/div>
\n3) Let\u2019s start with Eilat. I was able to see them live on Friday in Haifa and Ziv Ben Tzvi has turned into an absolute beast of a point guard.<\/strong> Ben Tzvi sees the floor as good as anyone and he\u2019s just so quick and intelligent, it\u2019s a pleasure to watch him play. One great benefit that Ben Tzvi has had is that he has been able to learn under the tutelage of Avi Ben Shimol who is one of Israel\u2019s best point guards and the fact that he hasn\u2019t even played a second yet hasn\u2019t impacted the Red Sea City squad in any negative fashion. I asked Ben Tzvi<\/strong> what has been the team\u2019s secret to success, \u201cI don\u2019t believe that there are any secrets. We brought in a good group of guys who understand the goals and have been able to come together. Right now we have good momentum and I hope that this will continue.\u201d The guard also spoke about getting a chance to show his wares, \u201cIn general, I feel good handling the point and this is what I have been doing my entire time as a basketball player. Things have really come together now and I, like everyone else, are being rewarded.\u201d Quite modest to say the least. Jordan Caroline<\/strong> who notched a double-double in the win over Haifa had this to say about the floor general, \u201cI think the biggest thing to our success is our unselfishness and I think Ziv is a big catalyst of that, especially him playing at the pace he does.\u201d
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