2020 NBA Draft: LaMelo Ball and 4 other rookie basketball cards worth collecting
By Josh Wilson
2020 rookie cards worth collecting: Deni Avdija
Deni Avdija is one of the most highly anticipated pure-international players in this draft class. The 6-8 forward reminds a bit of Dario Saric when he was being scouted overseas prior to coming over and joining the Philadelphia 76ers.
“A little bit of everything” is a good descriptor for Avdija’s game. He’s a smaller, but versatile forward who is going to be able to plug into just about any team’s gameplan from day one. While many scouts like NBA Junkies praise his passing and playmaking abilities for others, there is the flipside in that some of his ball movement is a bit overambitious and risky. The same is often said about his shot selection, and his shooting accuracy isn’t great either.
In tournament play, Avdija shot 31.6 percent from beyond the arc, and a pretty discouraging 60 percent from the free-throw line.
At a higher level of play with better teammates around him, perhaps he can be a bit more selective with his offensive game.
The jump from Israel to the NBA will be a big one, but other recent prospects who started pro in overseas systems have proven the jump is possible to make, perhaps even quicker than some collegiate players.
Avdija could be a really great prospect in this league, but there’s no doubt that there are things to work on.