With the 2020 NBA Draft just over two weeks away, teams around the league are beginning to narrow down the list of players who they want to add to their rosters.
One such player is Israeli phenom Deni Avdija. Avdija is a formidable talent and reportedly has a long list of teams that have expressed interest ahead of the Nov. 18 draft.
“Maccabi Tel Aviv prospect Deni Avdija might not be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, but quite a few teams appear to be intrigued,” Ethan Strauss of The Athletic wrote. “As I reported, Avdija hosted the [Golden State] Warriors on Oct. 22 in Atlanta, where he’s currently based during the pre-draft stretch. The Warriors are far from his only guests, though. According to sources, the list of teams who have talked with Avdija also includes the [Atlanta] Hawks, [Detroit] Pistons, [Cleveland] Cavaliers, [San Antonio] Spurs and [Milwaukee] Bucks. Those first three teams are expected as Avdija suitors. The latter two, and let’s face it, the Bucks especially, are interesting names. The Spurs make some sense, though, as they’ve built an institution off of finding international players. There’s no way to know if they’ll make the leap and trade up for a shot at Avdija, but you’d at least expect them to do some due diligence in that direction. With the Bucks, well, that one is a bit curious.”
Standing at 6-foot-9 and weighing 255 pounds, Avdija certainly has the body to make it in the NBA.
He’s spent his young professional career playing as a playmaking forward who is also able to make shots both around the rim and from beyond the arc at an impressive clip.
Beyond that, he has also shown an ability to perform on the defensive side of the ball, though that will surely be a part of his game that he works to improve as he transitions to the NBA.
It will be fascinating to see where the talented youngster ends up and if he is able to continue the recent tradition of international rookies excelling in the NBA.
