#9: Washington Wizards: Deni Avdija | Small Forward | International
If Deni Avdija falls to the Wizards at #9, and it is possible he does, he may be the steal of the draft. The 6’9″ Israeli plays like a point-forward. He is extremely fluid with his movement to be as big as he is and his passing is extremely creative.
When you watch his highlight reels, you can’t help but see shades of Luka Doncic in Avdija. Of course, that is an insanely high standard to compare him to, but with his height, mobility, shooting, and passing, it isn’t completely unfounded.
Still, like most young players in Europe, his numbers don’t jump off the page. For his Tel Aviv club, he averaged just 12.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. Despite his lack of awe-inspiring stats, he became the youngest player to ever win the Israeli League MVP at 19 years old and was also named Israeli League Israeli Player of the Year.
If he were to blossom into a star, he would give the Wizards a third dynamic playmaker to go alongside John Wall and Bradley Beal.