How Wizards aim to get more consistency from Avdija originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
WASHINGTON — Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. and starting forward Deni Avdija have been talking more lately. Over the past week-and-a-half, Unseld Jr. has taken Avdija aside to catch up on life, the World Cup and, of course, his performance on the court in recent games.
Avdija has followed his best stretch of the season in the latter half of November with a slump to begin December. After scoring in double-figures in seven of nine games from Nov. 10 to 27, he has scored a total of 20 points in four games this month. That included a scoreless game against the Hornets last Friday and a 1-for-8 night from three against the Lakers on Sunday.
The 2020 first-round pick has shown flashes of being an impact player for the Wizards on both ends of the floor, but at just 21 years old he is still searching for consistency.
“We want to instill confidence in him. He’s a big part of what we want to do moving forward. We have to lean into that and continue to breathe life and confidence into him,” Unseld Jr. said.
“I just want him to understand that we still trust and believe in him. We want him to succeed. How can we help him and put him in a position to have more success?”
Unseld Jr. says there is a lot of upside left for Avdija to tap into. He praised his versatility for his size, at 6-foot-9, and said he has displayed the potential to be an excellent defensive player with the ability to facilitate offense on the other end.
Unseld Jr. noted the hurdles Avdija has been presented with this season with his role changing from the starting lineup to the bench. As a starter, he is expected to be a defensive specialist and defer to teammates like Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma for shot attempts. When he’s on the bench, Avdija has a larger offensive role, sometimes as a point forward initiating the offense.
Unseld Jr. wants Avdija to get to a point where he can be a reliable defender regardless of his offensive role or how he’s shooting on a particular night.
“Struggling to make shots, that’s part of the game. You’ve gotta be able to continue to work on your craft. All the players go through it,” Unseld Jr. said.
Avdija is now shooting career-low percentages both from the field (39.3) and from three (26.5) and on Sunday the Lakers had apparently taken notice. Avdija took five three attempts in the first quarter because LeBron James was drifting far away from him to help his teammates guard other players.
Avdija missed all five shots.
“One, there’s a reason why you’re open, and two, you’ve just gotta have confidence,” Kuzma said. “He works, he’s in the gym more than anybody. He shoots a lot. It’s all about confidence. I think this game was a very good eye-opener of how teams are guarding him this season. It’s okay, everybody, every player at a certain time in their career, they hit a down patch and have a stretch of games or whatnot. You’ve just gotta figure it out. I think that he will and the best part about life as NBA players is we always play another game.”
Unseld Jr. said Avdija will have to figure out how to make other teams pay for playing that type of defense on him. He wants Avdija to shoot the ball if he’s open and gets a pass in rhythm, but if the shots aren’t falling, he needs to find other ways to capitalize.
According to Unseld Jr., it could mean dribbling into the paint either to score or create for others. If he attacks the closeout properly, it could be an opportunity for the Wizards’ offense, especially given Avdija is a gifted passer for his position.
Avdija will have to find that balance, but for now, the Wizards are taking measures to get him back on track.
