How the FBI helped Deni Avdija become an All-Star

The unlikely rise of Deni Avdija

Deni Avdija has the FBI to thank for his leap from bust to All Star.

He's probably not going to win Most Improved Player, but if the NBA had a different award for the most shocking transformation, we'd be having a very serious conversation about Deni right now.

After 4 years in Washington, Deni was widely considered a failure.

Nothing worked. His 3 point percentage dipped below 30% and he couldn't crack 10 points per game for 3 straight seasons.

By the time Washington dealt him to Portland in 2024, most people had moved on and accepted his fate as a bust, but something immediately clicked.

Here's what actually happened.

Shortly after Deni arrived, head coach Chauncey Billups called him into his office and gave him one very simple instruction. When you grab a rebound, don't look for a guard. Push it up the floor yourself.

It sounds small, but it changed the way Deni played. He had spent the last 4 years standing in the corner waiting for the ball.

Now he was initiating offense in transition, dictating the pace, and playing with an aggression nobody had seen from him as a pro.

His scoring jumped to 16 ppg and his 3 point shooting climbed to 36% in his first full season in Portland.

It was a nice step forward, but it wasn't the full unlock.

That came from the most unlikely place imaginable. Before this season’s opener, Chauncey Billups was arrested by the FBI as part of a gambling investigation.

Assistant Tiago Splitter was thrust into the head coaching role. This was key because 7 years earlier, Splitter had scouted Deni at the EuroLeague Final Four.

At the time he was an 18 year old playing point guard for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel. Point guard. Not a stand in the corner wing.

So when injuries hit Portland's backcourt and both Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday went down, Splitter knew exactly what Deni was capable of because he had seen it with his own eyes before he ever set foot in the NBA.

He handed Deni the keys to the entire offense and told him to play his natural position of Point Forward.

The results were historic. Deni put up 24 points, 7 rebounds, and nearly 7 assists per game.

The only other players in the league to reach those numbers this season were Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic.

He had an 8 game stretch where he averaged 30 a night on 53% from the floor. He dropped a 31 point, 19 rebound, 10 assist triple double on OKC.

In February he became the first Israeli player in NBA history to be named an All Star.

Keep in mind this is a player who just 2 years ago wasn't sure he belonged.

In a Yahoo Sports interview with Yaron Weitzman, Deni admitted he had questioned everything during his time in Washington.

"Do I really belong here? Am I really going to be the basketball player I think I can become?"

Obviously the answer is yes, but today the question has shifted.

As Deni enters his prime years (he’s 25 right now), can he make the leap from All-Star to top 10 player in the league?

If the last 19 months are any indication, betting against him would be a mistake.

- FMS

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