Wizards forward Deni Avdija might have turned a corner in his NBA career, highlighted by a career-high 43 points and season-high 15 rebounds on Wednesday against the Pelicans, Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes.
“It’s a little emotional,” Avdija said. “I never thought that, coming to the league, seeing all those numbers, those big players score those points, [I would be] able to be that hot. All the hard work, the times that I was down or I didn’t have good games — and I was down on myself a lot of times — I [stuck] with it. I kept working hard, I kept being patient. I went through a lot. And for me, it’s only the start. I feel like I’m still getting better.”
The Wizards have exercised patience with Avdija, the ninth overall pick in 2020. Robbins writes that while he hasn’t turned into the star that others selected after him — like Tyrese Haliburton or Tyrese Maxey — have become, he’s always been a versatile defensive player with secondary ball-handling upside.
But now, Avdija is improving at a rapid rate. As Robbins observes, he’s been far better from three this season, shooting 40.5% from beyond the arc (up from 29.7 in 2022/23). He’s also become a better driver and finisher at the rim. Interim head coach Brian Keefe is helping Avdija play to his strengths by increasing Washington’s pace of play, Robbins wirtes.
Avdija is averaging career highs of 13.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists this season. In his last four games, he’s averaging 28.3 points and 11.5 rebounds.
We have more on the Wizards:
- Rookie Bilal Coulibaly has been tasked with guarding some of the NBA’s top players as a teenager, and though the results fluctuate, he’s been impressive through his young career, Ava Wallace of The Washington Post writes (subscriber link). “He’s had his ups and downs like every other rookie, but I think he’s composed, he’s working hard, he knows what he needs to do on the court and he’s very decisive,” Avdija said. “He’s very confident for a rookie. That’s important.” Wallace writes that Coulibaly has impressive maturity for his age, due largely in part to his upbringing.
- Selecting Johnny Davis over the likes of Jalen Williams, Jalen Duren and Mark Williams is looking like a whiff, Zach Lowe of ESPN opines (Insider link). Davis has spent more time in his career in the G League after being selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2022 draft. He’s averaging 2.3 points in only 8.0 minutes this season. It’s still early in his career, but his playing time has only decreased since joining Washington.
- After he was waived by the Heat, the Wizards’ G League affiliate acquired the rights to R.J. Hampton in exchange for the returning player rights to Trevion Williams and a 2024 first (Twitter link via the Capital City Go-Go). While his numbers were modest in eight games with Miami, he showed some flashes and made a pair of starts. He averaged 11.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists in the G League with the Heat’s affiliate this season. After the Wizards waive Delon Wright, they’ll have just 13 players on standard contracts. All of Jules Bernard, Eugene Omoruyi and Jared Butler — Washington’s two-way players — have impressed in the G League. If Washington promotes one of them, Hampton is a logical choice for a two-way.