1. Deni Avdija – Israel
Unless you are really intentional about it (like I had to be), you are going to be hard-pressed to find a game tape of this guy. His games aren’t broadcast on FS1, or ESPN or CBS. But there’s every reason to believe that Avdija will be a top-5 pick in this year’s draft.
In November 2017, Avdija made his professional debut at age 16 for Maccabi Tel Aviv in an Israeli League. He is the youngest player ever to play for Maccabi. The next year made his debut in Europe’s premier basketball competition, the EuroLeague. He has represented both Germany (2018) and Israel (2020) in FIBA U20 competitions.
He is all of 19 years old, but he carries himself with a high level of edginess and confidence.
If he can keep his emotions in check, he sounds like he could be a great leader and teammate. Based on what’s been put out there about him, the ability to play is there, and now it’s just a matter of time before we see how his international experience translates to the NBA.