Deni Avdija could be a versatile, do-it-all forward for the Charlotte Hornets

While the rest of the world waits in earnest for any news regarding the NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets have a lot of questions to answer. Could Deni Avdija be one of the answers?

I don’t know about you, but at this point, it feels like basketball has been on hiatus for what seems like years, rather than just a pair of months. As of now, we’re a full month past what would have been the Charlotte Hornets‘ last regular-season game.

Yes, not being able to watch the NBA is a very minuscule problem compared to what a lot of the world is facing, but for those hoop heads stuck at home, relegated to watching old games or playing 2k, these last two months have been quite something.

So, while we continue to wait for any news on what the league is going to do this summer, all we can do is throw random guesses and speculations at the wall, hoping that one or two finally stick when things finally return to normal.

For fans of the Charlotte Hornets, the biggest questions obviously revolve around the upcoming NBA Draft… whenever that takes place, of course. Many have the Hornets hopefully picking up a big man like Onyeka Okongwu out of USC, but what if their targets are already taken by the time their pick comes around?

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At this point, we don’t even know exactly where the Hornets will be picking. It could be the No. 4 pick or it could be at that oh so hateable 11th spot. In any case, this particular draft leaves so many variables on which to ponder that it can make your head spin.

So, if their primary targets are picked, who else could they value? One such player is Deni Avdija, out of Israel. The 6’9″ forward has all the tools to be a proper point-forward in the NBA and after playing well enough to have NBA scouts putting him in their top 10 draft prospects, the 19-year-old could be one of the hotter commodities in the lottery.

Playing for Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv in the Euroleague, Avdija has many scouts calling him “Luka Doncic-Lite” as he can basically do it all. He’s played multiple positions all the way from power-forward to shooting guard. He has the ability to create his own shot, has good bounce off the dribble, and can see the floor well enough to be a primary passer in a taller lineup.

Playing overseas, Avdija is largely unknown to U.S. basketball fans and his stats might not be too impressive if one just takes them at face value. His 7.7 points and 4 rebounds adjusted for NCAA basketball might sound paltry, but it’s difficult to compare the Euroleague game to the U.S. college basketball game.

In nearly every mock draft, he is expected to go in the top 5, with the lowest being 10th, so apparently, scouts all have faith in him and if they’re comparing him to Luka Doncic, there might be something there on which to gamble.

It’s not all perfect, however. Several have mentioned his below-average three-point shooting and his terrible free-throw performance. Making just 34% from behind the arc is not going to cut it at the NBA level for a small forward. Even worse, hitting just 52% of his shots at the charity stripe is definitely not going to be sufficient if he wants to be drafted in the lottery.

By several accounts, Deni has been working tirelessly to get his game up to snuff, but even now, his potential is through the roof. On top of his versatile offensive game, he has shown the ability to be a capable defender at multiple spots on the floor. He’s a solid rebounder, as well, and despite his relatively short wingspan for his size, he can keep up with longer, leaner matchups.

If he can put on about 10-15 pounds, he could sufficiently defend most, if not all, power forwards in the game and if the defense leaves a wing player open, he can close out on open shooters with relative ease.

One thing to think about, however, is where he fits in the current lineup. Miles Bridges is the starting man at the small forward and fits neither at the four nor the two, so Avdija would likely have to come off the bench. Given his versatility, that would make sense as he could replace two or three guys fresh off the bench.

He’s still got quite a bit to work on and is a bit raw, but the comparisons to Luka, or even Hedo Turkoglu, as some have mentioned, sound very tantalizing. That remains to be seen, of course, and those are some lofty names to live up to.

If one of the Charlotte Hornets’ targets isn’t available wherever they end up picking, Avdija may just be worth a look. If scouts’ forecasts are true, then he could be what Charlotte thought Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was going to be.

No matter who the Charlotte Hornets draft, they will be an exciting addition to the team. If their initial targets are taken, though, they could take a chance on an international player. Time will tell who it is, but if it is Avdija, they may have a star in the making.