Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija is in his second season with the team, and the growth he has had from last year to this one has been substantial.
Avdija is averaging a career-best 25.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, along with 6.6 assists per contest. Those numbers were certainly worthy of making him an All-Star for the first time in his career. Avdija spoke about why he feels he has taken that next step towards becoming one of the best players in the league.
“I couldn’t do it without my teammates,” Avdija said via team reporter Casey Holdahl. “How we share the ball, how we play hard, how are we in the standings, a lot of it is a team sport in the end of the day. You can be as good as you want, but you need your teammates to be there… I feel like they’ve done a great job.”
Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija brings the ball up court against the New York Knicks. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Deni Avdija Reflects on Being Named to All-Star Team
Avdija knew he beat out a lot of worthy players to be named an All-Star, but he believes that his work speaks for itself in why he eventually took that leap.
“I think there was this great, great players that didn’t get chosen for the All-Star game and obviously, there’s a lot of talent in this league that could have been instead of me,” Avdija said via Holdahl. “But I work hard, I play hard, I don’t want to say I deserve it, but I do respect me and my game, and I’m really happy that I’m able to be an All-Star.”
The fact that the Blazers were able to acquire an All-Star in a small trade for a first-round pick and aging veteran in point guard Malcolm Brogdon is proof that the front office is incredibly savvy. They believed in Avdija, and they are now reaping the benefits of that trade that they made.
The best part about Avdija is that he is only 25 years old. There are still a lot of ways in which he can grow, and that should have the Blazers really excited about what’s to come for the fifth-year pro out of Israel.
Avdija and the rest of the World All-Stars will tip off at 2 p.m. PT inside the Intuit Dome. Fans can watch the game on NBC or stream it on Peacock.
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