Maccabi Tel Aviv | SF/PF | 2001
Height: 6'9"
Weight: 225 lbs
Wingspan: 6'9"
Shades of: Lamar Odom, Hedo Turkoglu (Offensively), Dario Saric
Projected Draft Range: 2-5
Big Board Ranking: N/A
Selling Points:
Avdija main appeal as a prospect comes in his point forward skill set and potential as a primary (but more realistically a secondary) initiator. Avdija makes intelligent reads and can react decisively and accordingly off of the gravity he has going downhill, finding cutters and recognising areas of inattention. As a pick and roll ball handler, Avdija shows intelligence and patience. Avdija loves to hit the roll man with tight bounce passes but is also proficient at finding weakside cutters or kicking the ball out to open shooters when defenders try to help on him. Avdija has a few developing veteran screen action moves in his bag. The most notable of those being his great tendency to try and keep his defender on his back coming off a screen and using that sort of physicality to his tactical advantage. He also loves to reject the pick and roll and straight-line drive his way to the rim for the finish. Avdija possesses good open court speed; defying the Euro-Prospect stereotype. He is able to take the ball coast-to-coast and is quite the creative distributor in transition, always playing eyes-up and looking to push the ball ahead.
While not an above the rim athlete, Avdija is a good finisher around the rim. Avdija has solid burst when attacking closeouts which is largely benefited by his long strides. He has good body control when attacking the rim as shown by his ability to convert on off-balance layups and euro steps which are his main form of deceleration. Avdija is an excellent cutter from both the 45 from the weakside and on the baseline and has great timing and touch on such possessions. Although not likely to be a direct source of his offense at the next level, Avdija has an unorthodox yet effective post-game. He does a great job at creating contact and getting to his go-to post hook over either shoulder or drop step.
While an average to below-average jump shooter, Avdija shows some off the dribble potential as a shooter. Avdija has improved confidence and fluidity pulling up off the dribble off of a size up of 'tweens which may be a sign of future improved shot creation.
Avdija is most likely suited to play the four defensively at the next level both athletically and from a tactical standpoint. Avdija is a solid team defender who makes smart rotations to make up for his lack of lateral quickness. He has textbook technique when it comes to staying vertical on contests and due to his verticality, he is a good weakside shot blocker despite his lack of length.
Turnoffs:
While his three-point percentage of 33.3% isn't necessarily terrible, his 58.8 completion rate at the line creates concern as free throw percentage is a reliable indicator of three-point touch at the next level. Avdija has rather stiff mechanics and a few bad habits that throw off his rhythm such as kicking his legs out after his release or leaning back while attempting free throws. Avdija also gets easily bothered by closeouts in catch and shoot opportunities and rushes his shot.
Avdija's loose technique as a perimeter defender and lack of lateral quickness makes him an ideal target for opposing guards to attack. In man-to-man, Avdija defensive stance is too upright which allows for ball handlers to blow by him with too much ease. Avdija also has a hard time fighting through screens off-the-ball more so because of technique. While an average-to-good rebounder, Avdija still needs to add some more muscle and toughness if he wants to be a good contributor on the boards.
Although an excellent cutter and one with good body control, Avdija isn't the most fluent of finishers when faced with NBA length. Attacking the rim, Avdija can play out of control and is subject to losing his dribble or being unable to decelerate quick enough. In situations like so, Avdija can be rushed in his finishing and intimidated by players of similar of more length. He also doesn't have much of an advanced handle and for the most part, relies on straight-line drives to get his way into the paint. Avdija does also need to improve his confidence in his left hand around the rim rather than defaulting to his right regardless of the situation.
NBA Outlook:
Avdija main appeal as a prospect comes in his point forward skill set and potential as a primary (but more realistically a secondary) initiator. Avdija makes intelligent reads and can react decisively and accordingly off of the gravity he has going downhill, finding cutters and recognising areas of inattention. As a pick and roll ball handler, Avdija shows intelligence and patience. Avdija loves to hit the roll man with tight bounce passes but is also proficient at finding weakside cutters or kicking the ball out to open shooters when defenders try to help on him. Avdija has a few developing veteran screen action moves in his bag. The most notable of those being his great tendency to try and keep his defender on his back coming off a screen and using that sort of physicality to his tactical advantage. He also loves to reject the pick and roll and straight-line drive his way to the rim for the finish. Avdija possesses good open court speed; defying the Euro-Prospect stereotype. He is able to take the ball coast-to-coast and is quite the creative distributor in transition, always playing eyes-up and looking to push the ball ahead.
While not an above the rim athlete, Avdija is a good finisher around the rim. Avdija has solid burst when attacking closeouts which is largely benefited by his long strides. He has good body control when attacking the rim as shown by his ability to convert on off-balance layups and euro steps which are his main form of deceleration. Avdija is an excellent cutter from both the 45 from the weakside and on the baseline and has great timing and touch on such possessions. Although not likely to be a direct source of his offense at the next level, Avdija has an unorthodox yet effective post-game. He does a great job at creating contact and getting to his go-to post hook over either shoulder or drop step.
While an average to below-average jump shooter, Avdija shows some off the dribble potential as a shooter. Avdija has improved confidence and fluidity pulling up off the dribble off of a size up of 'tweens which may be a sign of future improved shot creation.
Avdija is most likely suited to play the four defensively at the next level both athletically and from a tactical standpoint. Avdija is a solid team defender who makes smart rotations to make up for his lack of lateral quickness. He has textbook technique when it comes to staying vertical on contests and due to his verticality, he is a good weakside shot blocker despite his lack of length.
Turnoffs:
While his three-point percentage of 33.3% isn't necessarily terrible, his 58.8 completion rate at the line creates concern as free throw percentage is a reliable indicator of three-point touch at the next level. Avdija has rather stiff mechanics and a few bad habits that throw off his rhythm such as kicking his legs out after his release or leaning back while attempting free throws. Avdija also gets easily bothered by closeouts in catch and shoot opportunities and rushes his shot.
Avdija's loose technique as a perimeter defender and lack of lateral quickness makes him an ideal target for opposing guards to attack. In man-to-man, Avdija defensive stance is too upright which allows for ball handlers to blow by him with too much ease. Avdija also has a hard time fighting through screens off-the-ball more so because of technique. While an average-to-good rebounder, Avdija still needs to add some more muscle and toughness if he wants to be a good contributor on the boards.
Although an excellent cutter and one with good body control, Avdija isn't the most fluent of finishers when faced with NBA length. Attacking the rim, Avdija can play out of control and is subject to losing his dribble or being unable to decelerate quick enough. In situations like so, Avdija can be rushed in his finishing and intimidated by players of similar of more length. He also doesn't have much of an advanced handle and for the most part, relies on straight-line drives to get his way into the paint. Avdija does also need to improve his confidence in his left hand around the rim rather than defaulting to his right regardless of the situation.
NBA Outlook:
Avdija is likely to translate to the next level as a high-level role player due to his defensive instincts and passing in a multitude of situations as these are both highly team-oriented skills.
Avdija's development as a shooter will be the make-or-break swing skill that determines his ceiling as either a role player or a star in the league. Being able to create for himself and be a reliable threat to pull-up will open up his game and allow him to play more as a primary and take on a higher usage. Similarly, improving his handle and ability to play off the bounce will make him a more dynamic offensive player and increase his pick and roll equity.
With reports of Avdija having a notably high work ethic, Avdija could be a safe pick to be able to make improvements in these said areas as it was apparent that he not only added considerable muscle (+10 lbs) during the COVID hiatus but also returned to play with increased confidence and a more refined skillset.
Comments
Post a Comment