First time selected as an All-Star, the four years that delayed Avdija's progress

There isn’t much controversy about Avdija becoming an All-Star. Even without this year’s international team format, his selection was almost guaranteed. In the All-Star starter voting, Avdija ranked fifth in fan votes in the Western Conference, and both player and media votes placed him in the top ten.

From a statistical perspective, Avdija is having the best season of his career so far, averaging 25.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.7 assists with a 46.8% field goal percentage and 35.6% from three-point range, far surpassing his previous seasons. Last season, his 16.9 points per game was already his highest since entering the league, and this season he has increased his scoring by 8.6 points.

He has nearly become a hybrid of the Blazers’ own Luka Doncic and Shai Alexander, controlling the team’s offense while leading Portland to its current play-in position, with even more impressive performances earlier in the season. The Blazers’ half-court offense almost always relies on Avdija’s ball-handling; his importance to Portland is comparable to Doncic’s role with the Lakers.

Chinese fans hold a strong affection for Avdija mainly because of his support for Yang Hansen. Whenever Yang and Avdija are on the court together, Avdija consistently feeds Yang opportunities. Yang Hansen stated:

“Avdija shared with me the challenges and issues he faced as a rookie. He understands what I’m going through because he has been there himself. He has always tried to help and support me, and he deserves all the love from Chinese fans.”

Avdija truly empathizes with Yang Hansen’s difficult rookie season. In the 2020 draft, he was selected ninth overall by the Wizards, which seemed high but was actually lower than expected for him at that time.

Back then, Avdija was compared to Luka Doncic, both having dominated European courts before entering the NBA. At age 16, Avdija was already playing for Maccabi in the Israeli League and the EuroLeague.

In 2019, during the European U20 Championship, 18-year-old Avdija averaged 18.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 2.1 steals per game, leading his team to victories over France and Spain and earning the tournament MVP. In 2020, at 19, he was named MVP of the Israeli league, steadily improving year after year.

Naturally, his next goal was to enter the NBA. His projected draft position was consistently within the top five, and the Warriors, holding the second pick, showed strong interest. However, the 2020 pandemic caused all pre-draft scouting events to be canceled, making teams with high picks cautious, and Avdija remained relatively unknown to them.

As a result, that draft produced many high-pick busts and some late gems. Busts included second pick Wiseman and seventh pick Hayes, while late picks who turned out well included Avdija, 12th pick Haliburton, and 21st pick Maxey.

Although being selected ninth was decent, unfortunately, the Wizards picked him. Soon after, the Wizards acquired Westbrook, and Avdija completely lost his chance to start as a backcourt player.

His comparison was Doncic, but the Wizards used him mainly as a wing player. In his rookie season, Avdija started 32 games but played out of position, mostly doing 3-and-D work. His shooting was unstable, with a three-point percentage of only 31.5%, averaging just 6.3 points and 1.2 assists per game.

In the following two years, Avdija’s three-point shooting hovered around 31.5%, 31.7%, and 29.7%. He played as a ball-handler in Israel but never had great shooting skills, and the Wizards’ 3-and-D role made things tough for him.

It wasn’t until his fourth year, after signing a four-year, $55 million contract early, that the Wizards gave him more ball-handling responsibilities, allowing Avdija to finally realize some of his potential. Then, the Wizards quickly traded him away.

In the 2024 offseason, the Wizards traded Avdija to the Blazers, receiving Brogdon, the 14th pick in the 2024 first round, a protected 2029 first-round pick, and second-round picks in 2028 and 2030. At the time, this trade seemed like a win for the Wizards, but now it looks like the Blazers acquired a future cornerstone with two first-round picks.

With the Blazers, Avdija showcased his talent in the first year and soared in the second. Crucially, his contract is extremely affordable: $14.37 million this season, $13.12 million in 26-27, and $11.87 million in the final year, with a declining salary structure.

Avdija has now become the most cost-effective player in the league, bar none. At just 25 years old and still ascending in his career, the better he plays before 2028, the less he earns.

Shockingly, the Wizards’ president recently explained that the reason for trading Avdija was to keep the team’s age level consistent, and at 23, Avdija was older than the rest of the roster.

Being selected by such a team can be seen as a significant early challenge that fate placed in front of Avdija’s career.