Israeli draft prospect Deni Avdija interviewed with and worked out for the Golden State Warriors and they reportedly were impressed with what he put on display.
“Not only did Avdija perform well in the workouts, but Warriors officials were blown away after meeting with him,” wrote Ethan Strauss of The Athletic. “The universal takeaway was that he’s a ‘great kid’ with an immense work ethic.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr was among those observing, Strauss reported, and presumably GM Bob Myers was as well.
The Warriors own the second overall pick in the Nov. 18 draft. Minnesota owns the first.
Memphis center James Wiseman, Georgia shooting guard Anthony Edwards and well-traveled point guard LaMelo Ball have widely been considered the top three prospects entering the draft, in no particular order. But there has been talk lately that Avdija is climbing the charts.
Avdija is 6-foot-9 and plays both forward spots. He averaged 13.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 28 games this season with Maccabi Tel Aviv. For his efforts, he was named Player of the Year in Israel’s Winner League.
NBADraft.net compared Avdija to former NBA forward Hedo Turkoglu.
“All around talented wing with great size … Versatile, he can play from shooting guard to power forward … Great feel for the game … He possesses a high basketball I.Q … Very competitive, not afraid of the big stage … Jack of all trades, he can do just about everything on the floor,” NBADraft.net wrote of Avdija.
