{"id":43266,"date":"2021-10-22T04:21:32","date_gmt":"2021-10-22T04:21:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/?p=43266"},"modified":"2024-11-03T09:31:12","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T09:31:12","slug":"deni-avdija-is-learning-the-importance-of-patience-entering-year-2-in-the-nba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/en\/deni-avdija-is-learning-the-importance-of-patience-entering-year-2-in-the-nba\/","title":{"rendered":"Deni Avdija is learning the importance of patience entering Year 2 in the NBA"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Tommy Sheppard made the decision to select Deni Avdija with the ninth overall pick in the 2020 draft less than a year ago, the organization had a sense that he would not necessarily be an immediate starter but fell in love with his potential. Entering his second NBA season, Avdija is learning and adapting to the reality that perfection is not going to come in a blink of an eye no matter how hard he works or strives. That has been an important lesson the 20-year old is starting to understand entering his sophomore year.<\/p>\n

“It fluctuates and I think that\u2019s the mark once again of a young player,” head coach Wes Unseld Jr. began when asked about Avdija\u2019s readiness. “Some days he\u2019s really dialed in, he\u2019s got it, you feel like he\u2019s on the same page, other days he looks a little lost. I think that\u2019s just the natural maturation a young player has to go through. For him, it\u2019s stay in the moment. I think sometimes he gets so obsessed with what he perceives as a pass\/failure that it affects his next shot, affects the next play. So now, you can\u2019t bypass that, you got to learn from those mistakes, but you can\u2019t dwell on it and I think it\u2019s important for him to understand you have to have that next shot mentality. If there\u2019s a problem, understand what the problem is, fix it and move on.\u201d
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Deni Avdija – Photo Credit: Washington Wizards<\/p><\/div>
\nIt is said so often that it almost sounds like a cliche, but the NBA game slows down for young players as they get more and more experience. They start to recognize different schemes on both ends of the floor, they can sense the tendencies of their opponents, and they have a greater understanding of their own team\u2019s concepts. All of that can be exponentially harder for a young man living his first year in a new continent. With so many new players and coaches added to the organization, there has been a heightened emphasis compared to past seasons for the roster to develop bonds and friendships outside of basketball that is already paying dividends for Avdija.<\/p>\n

“The people next to me that I love, they always tell me, it doesn\u2019t come right away,\u201d Avdija shared. I\u2019m still getting in a rhythm, I\u2019m still coming back from injury. The first practice or the first game that I came back, I was expecting to be like better than what I remember before I got injured, but it doesn\u2019t happen in a second. Eventually, it will but I was rushing to be faster, stronger than what I was and it shouldn\u2019t be like that. I should grind slowly and be patient with my stuff and be better every day.\u201d
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Deni Avdija – Photo Credit: Washington Wizards<\/p><\/div>
\nWes Unseld Jr. is known for his meticulous attention to detail, but also as a leader of men because of his personable relationships whether you are the franchise player or the 15th man on the roster. Case in point, he was rebounding for training camp invites days before they would inevitably be waived and likely headed to the Wizards\u2019 G League team, the Capital City Go-Go. The first-year head coach has high expectations for Avdija and will be a great asset to his development.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s gonna have a bigger role,” Unseld predicted. “I want to see his minutes see an uptick. I want him to be able to play late-game situations if necessary, but he\u2019s not there yet. So he\u2019s going to have to earn those minutes and nothing is given. I think he\u2019s well on his way to doing that, but I want to see him get out of his box a little bit. He came in as a shot-maker, playmaker, and didn\u2019t get an opportunity to do so much last season so get him the ball, see where he can help us.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Deni Avdija gets a deflection that leads to a steal and then able to get a tip in<\/p>\n

The game certainly rewards effort pic.twitter.com\/47uFFSYIG0<\/a><\/p>\n

— Hoop District (@Hoop_District) October 21, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n