The Washington Wizards return to action on Wednesday hosting the Portland Trail Blazers who have quietly stacked together an impressive recent stretch of wins over the last month.
Washington enters this matchup coming off their 10th win of the season with the chance to start a winning streak of their own.
Considering the cushion between them and the next worst team at the bottom of the NBA standings, a win may not be the worst case scenario for the moral surrounding the young team and their newly acquired veterans down the stretch of the season, not to mention the fans.
However, to do that, they'll have to avoid being on the bad side of a revenge game from a former first-round pick that began his career in Washington.
Deni Avdija leads the Trail Blazers into battle against WAS
The Wizards selected Deni Avdija with the No. 9 overal pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Washington had high hopes for the versatile forward, and while he showed flashes of what he had to offer, the Wizards made the decision to trade the young playmaker in the offseason in a draft night deal that landed him in Portland.
Since joining the Trail Blazers, the 24-year-old has put together a career year averaging 14.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists, while shooting 46.2% from field goal range and 33.9% from three.
Avdija was dealt to the Trail Blazers for Malcolm Brogdon and the No. 14 overall pick in last year's draft which ultimately landed Bub Carrington in Washington.
And while the deal may have made sense for both sides giving the forward a fresh start with another rebuilding team and bring them back a veteran and a young guard in the draft, Avdija would have been an interesting prospect to continue watching his develop with the Wizards.
Now, Brian Keefe's squad will head into battle without the team's top rookie addition Alex Sarr and veteran Brogdon, who spent last season with the Trail Blazers. Outside of these two injuries, the only other player listed on the injury report is Saddiq Bey who has yet to suit up in a Wizards jersey as he continues to recover from an ACL tear.
Regardless, with the home fans behind them, the Wizards young team has the opportunity to avoid an Avdija revenge game if they build on the confidence from Monday's win over the Brooklyn Nets.
However, with the NBA draft seemingly the most exciting thing to look forward to for fans of the Wizards, we'll see if the crowd is cheering for an Avdija revenge game, or against it.