Six-foot-nine point forwards don’t grow on trees.
So when an NBA team has an opportunity to snag one, common sense says they should.
The Washington Wizards, who had Deni Avdija atop their draft boards coming into the 2020 NBA Draft, considered themselves lucky when the Israeli star fell to number 9 after being projected in the top five.
Yet, after “earning” a starting spot, as head coach Scott Brooks said after training camp, Avdija has been relegated to the bench — playing spot minutes, his role diminished to that of a late second round pick.
In his first five games of the season, Avdija was a consistent presence on the court, averaging 26 minutes through those games.