{"id":67848,"date":"2022-09-25T10:15:23","date_gmt":"2022-09-25T10:15:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/?p=67848"},"modified":"2022-09-30T13:49:53","modified_gmt":"2022-09-30T13:49:53","slug":"deni-avdijas-much-anticipated-third-season-in-the-nba-is-temporarily-on-hold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/en\/deni-avdijas-much-anticipated-third-season-in-the-nba-is-temporarily-on-hold\/","title":{"rendered":"Deni Avdija’s much anticipated third season in the NBA is temporarily on hold"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Washington Wizards opened training camp on Saturday morning, officially marking the start of Year 3 for Deni Avdija in the NBA. With some semblance of a typical offseason for the first time in his NBA career, there are high hopes for the 21-year-old to take a big step in his contributions this season. Those expectations are temporarily on hold as Avdija continues to recover from a groin injury that he played through at the end of EuroBasket less than two weeks ago.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s something we got to manage,” head coach Wes Unseld Jr. said after Day 1 of training camp. “You just want to monitor, not push him to the point where we have to shut him down. We\u2019re going to ease him in and ramp him up. He\u2019s available for parts of practice, but we don\u2019t want to throw him out there right now in contact and live stuff.”
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Deni Avdija – Photo Credit: Washington Wizards<\/p><\/div>
\nAvdija could only observe the overwhelming majority of practice and did not partake in any scrimmaging. After practice, he went through an on-court 1-on-0 workout with player development trainer Joe Ajike, who spent several days with Avdija in Israel leading up to his national team play this summer. Following the workout, Avdija caught his breath sitting on the hardwood floor in the corner of the gym chatting with assistant coach Zach Guthrie. Knowing Washington’s recent cautious approaches to injuries, there is no guarantee Avdija will be a full participant in any of the Wizards’ next three days of training camp practice before departing for Japan.<\/p>\n

“I hope so, we\u2019ll see. There\u2019s no real timetable. We just want to ramp him up shortly and make sure he\u2019s good to go before we throw him out there,” Unseld generalized when asked if Avdija is expected to practice anytime Sunday through Tuesday. “He\u2019s had a history of similar issues in the past, we just don\u2019t want to aggravate it.”<\/p>\n

“The doctors and the trainers will do the best they can to get me healthy as fast as possible and get me on the court, but for now I trust them, I trust the organization,” Avdija said the day before on Friday afternoon during Media Day.
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Deni Avdija – Photo Credit: Washington Wizards<\/p><\/div>
\nDespite what should be a short delay, there is plenty of optimism that the 2020 first-round pick will further validate general manager Tommy Sheppard’s decision with the ninth overall pick. The sample size is still somewhat limited, but through two seasons, Avdija is shooting a below-average 31.6 percent (135\/427) from beyond the three-point line, which anyone will concede has to improve to stop undercutting his value on the offensive end of the floor. After working with skills trainer extraordinaire Drew Hanlen (whose first clients were Bradley Beal and then Jayson Tatum) in Los Angeles earlier in the summer, Avdija seems confident of improvement.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s been great, I\u2019ve had time to work on my game, work on my body,” Avdija began with a cheery look when asked about having a full offseason. “Getting better at the things I wanted to get better at. Had more time to clear my mind, to get ready for the season. All the things that I worked on, I could express in the Israeli national team playing in the European level. So I enjoyed, I got a lot of experience this offseason and I\u2019m coming ready to the next year [in the NBA].”<\/p>\n

“Getting my ball handling better, finishing at the rim was important for me. One of the most important things was the shot. I feel like I got confidence in my shot, shooting step-backs, shooting off the dribble, pick and rolls. I feel great,” Avdija continued to express about the specifics he worked on over the summer.
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Deni Avdija – Photo Credit: Washington Wizards<\/p><\/div>
\nTeam president and general manager Tommy Sheppard watched Avdija’s exceptional 23 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal performance against Finland live in Prague that included an overtime forcing three-pointer that the forward said felt good as soon as it left his hands. Sheppard described the game as a “big point” in Avdija’s career. Of course, the always polite Avdija was appreciative of the support from his front office boss but was also getting a morale boost from franchise player Bradley Beal and a vote of confidence from head coach Wes Unseld Jr.<\/p>\n

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Deni Avdija hits an off the dribble 3 to force overtime where Israel defeated Finland \ud83d\udd25 pic.twitter.com\/hLSkbiiUO3<\/a><\/p>\n

— Hoop District (@Hoop_District) September 2, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n