By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Scoring 43 points in the Smoothie King Center was an individual best for Israeli Deni Avdija. However, the Washington Wizards fell to the New Orleans Pelicans, dropping to 9-45 in the NBA Regular Season on Wednesday.
Avdija, 23, tucked in six three-pointers and went for 13/24 from the field. Pulling down 15 rebounds shaped his eighth double-double in the 2023-24 campaign.
“All the hard work, the times that I was down or I didn’t have good games. I was down on myself a lot of times, and I stuck with it. I kept working hard, I kept being patient, and I went through a lot. And for me, it’s only the start,” he followed up on the best performance of his career, “I feel like I’m still getting better.”
Leading the defense was the theme over four years with the Wizards. Jumping from 41.7%, 43.2%, and 43.7% in field goals to 52.1% this season marks improvements on the opposite end of the court.
“A lot of my offense comes from me competing on defense and making stops and getting the rebounds,” he noted, “It’s always going to be there, regardless of the offense, and I feel like that’s what gets me going in a lot of games, getting to the defense, knowing the personnel, being there for my teammates, and making big plays for the team to be able to compete.”
Heading to the All-Star break, Avdija is averaging 13.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game.
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