Deni Avdija has been tasked to guard the opposing team’s best player all season long, as he’s shown tremendous promise on that end of the floor.
However, he struggled to defend Jimmy Butler in the Wizards’ 119-112 loss to the Heat Tuesday night, but head coach Wes Unseld Jr. understands that he’s going to experience some growing pains.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” Unseld Jr. said. “People forget he’s a second-year player and we’re asking him to guard All-Stars.”
“So, it’s not going to be great every night, and I don’t expect it to be, but I think there’s growth. The more he does it, he will have a comfort level with guarding those marquee matchups and understanding personnel tendencies. It’s only going to make him better.”
Unseld Jr. is overall impressed with the young forward’s ability to defend, as he views these growing pains as lessons for Avdija to live up to his potential as an All-NBA defender.
“He’s shown his ability to do it, that’s the bottom line. I give him a lot of credit, a lot of nights he’s done a terrific job. Tonight, he struggled a bit early and got in foul trouble,” Unseld Jr. said.
“That just goes back to the hand discipline and behind mindful of that’s what Jimmy does. He initiates a lot of contact, he gets to the line. You just gotta be mindful of it and be prepared to absorb some of that contact without getting your hands over the ball.”
More Wizards Notes
- Bradley Beal has received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, Ava Wallace of the Washington Post relays. Beal is currently in the health and safety protocols with a return date yet to be determined.
- Rui Hachimura was on the verge of making his return, but has entered the health and safety protocols, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Hachimura has yet to play a game this season due to personal reasons.
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The Wizards have signed Alize Johnson to a 10-day hardship exception, as he ended up playing in the Wizards’ loss to the Heat, putting up four points and eight rebounds.
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The Wizards also signed Craig Sword to a 10-day hardship exception on Tuesday, as he had six points, three steals and an assist against the Heat.
