The Popular Pick: Deni Avdija, F, Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel)
Deni Avdija seems to be the heavy favorite to land in Cleveland, at least according to various mock drafts that have come out recently. I’m not sure it’s a lock he ends up falling to five, but if the Warriors at two and Bulls at four don’t take him, the future of Israeli basketball would be a good pick for the Cavs.
Avdija burst onto the scene in 2018 at the FIBA U20 European Championship leading Israel to a gold medal. The following summer though in 2019 in the same tournament, is where Avdija entered the conversation as a potential top-five pick. He averaged 18.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 2.1 steals per game, leading Israel to back-to-back gold medals and being named the MVP of the tournament.
In 26 games last season for Tel Aviv, Avdija only played 14.3 minutes per game and averaged 4.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in those appearances. There have been some comparisons of Avdija to Mavericks star Luka Doncic, but I think that is wildly premature and more so just inaccurate to say he’ll on that level. To me, his skillset is more comparable to Danilo Gallinari or Gordon Hayward. I’m not sold on Avdija ever being an MVP caliber or transcendent talent like Luka is, but there is a chance he could develop into an All-Star or starting level forward.
Cleveland was a bit of a mess on both ends of the floor last season, offensively they ranked 26th in points per game (106.9), 21st in 3-pointers made per game (11.2), 20th in 3-point percentage (35.1%), 24th in assists per game (23.1), 28th in turnovers per game (15.7), and 28th in point differential (-7.8). Defensively it didn’t get any better for the Cavs, ranking 22nd in opponents points per game (114.8), 30th in opponent field goal percentage (49.1%), and 26th in opponent 3-point percentage (37.5%). They basically need help everywhere, but especially on the wing where Avdija could immediately start for the team.
The Cavaliers haven’t had much direction since losing LeBron James, but they do clearly seem to be wanting to play through their backcourt of Sexton and Garland. But they’ve got nobody offensively skilled enough to make a difference on the wing, making it so teams can collapse on the two young guards constantly. Cedi Osman, the team’s starting three a year ago, averaged 11.0 points and 2.4 assists per game with a PER of 10.7 in 29.4 minutes per game over 65 starts. That isn’t going to get it done in the current landscape of the NBA and I’d argue, Avdija would be an upgrade from day one over Osman at the small forward position for Cleveland.
Now I wouldn’t expect an enormous contribution from Avdija offensively early in his career, but he does flash the potential to be a more than capable scorer in this league with his shooting ability and potential as a playmaker. He’ll help the Cavs’ 3-point shooting, even though he only shot 28 percent from beyond the arc for Tel Aviv last season, Avdija has really smooth shot mechanics and an effortless quick release. But where he can help Bickerstaff’s offense right away is with his ability to score in the post, which can open up some things on the perimeter for Sexton and Garland.
The exciting dimension of Avdija’s game though could be his ability as a creator. I think his handle needs a lot of work, but off handoff situations, he’s got no problem attacking and playmaking for his teammates. This could help take some of the playmaking-burden off of both Garland and Sexton, opening up more efficient shots for them to score on.
Where I believe he can really help Cleveland though is on the defensive end of the floor. I actually think his on-ball defense is one of Avdija’s best attributes. He’s not the best athlete, but he is quick enough, is a good help defender and at 6-foot-9, 220 pounds has the physical profile to guard multiple positions.
Avdija’s effort is pretty consistent as a defender and he competes to stay in front of his man. He may not be a lockdown defender, but his effort and competitiveness could be infectious, to a young Cleveland team that desperately needs it.
Ultimately, the expectations that Deni Avdija is the next Luka Doncic is quite foolish, at least in my eyes. But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be a good fit in Cleveland and help this franchise finally have some hope in a post-LeBron era.
He would also give the Cavs the flexibility to trade Kevin Love and move off of the 80 million dollars left on his contract, as Avdija could be a decent stretch four. With a new head coach in J.B. Bickerstaff combined with a trio consisting of Garland, Sexton, and Avdija, Cleveland fans might have a little bit of hope for the future.