San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama, who entered the NBA with record-breaking expectations, continues to impress as one of the league’s premier young players. Meanwhile, Portland Trail Blazers’ Deni Avdija has gone from being criticized as a bust during his time with the Washington Wizards to earning his first NBA All-Star selection this season.
During the All-Star weekend, which featured both players on the court, Wembanyama shared insights about Avdija’s performance in the league and offered advice on defending him effectively.
Insights on How to Guard Deni Avdija Effectively
The NBA regularly sees players make surprising leaps in their careers, transforming into key contributors overnight. The Most Improved Player award symbolizes this progression, with past winners like Paul George demonstrating remarkable growth.
This season, Deni Avdija has gained strong consideration for this accolade due to his significant improvement. However, with his breakout season also comes increased scrutiny, especially concerning his tendency to draw free throws. Wembanyama acknowledged this challenge candidly.
How is he viewed? He takes a lot of free throws,
Wembanyama stated.
So playing against him — I haven’t played against him this year, but my advice is to defend without fouling.
Avdija’s Performance in the All-Star Games
Avdija started for Team World in the All-Star events, contributing five points, including a three-pointer, during eight minutes in the first game against Team Stars. However, in the subsequent game versus Team USA Stripes, he did not score, and Team World did not advance to the championship round.
Wembanyama was the standout for Team World, scoring a total of 33 points across two games. Avdija praised Wembanyama’s competitiveness and supported his strong performance throughout the weekend.
We saw that Victor was really competitive, so we tried to give him the ball and let him go to work, man, because we saw he was really into it,
Avdija remarked.
We were just there for each other, honestly. Victor was cooking. He was playing good. Just feed him the ball. It’s fine.
Deni Avdija’s Growth as an All-Around Player
Although Avdija’s All-Star showing was modest, his overall season statistics demonstrate his transformation into a versatile star. Averaging 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game, he has evolved into a well-rounded player known for drawing significant contact, shown by his 9.4 free-throw attempts per game—an increasingly defining feature of his playing style.
If Avdija continues on this trajectory, the discussion in the NBA will shift from questioning his capabilities to strategizing how to contain him. According to Wembanyama, the key defensive strategy remains clear: preventing Avdija from easily reaching the free-throw line.
