No. 3 – Finish at a higher level in the paint
First and foremost, Deni has to do a much better job at finishing his easy looks around the basket. There was a huge drop-off in his field goal percentage from 0-3 feet in years 1 & 2. Deni shot 63.3% on field goal attempts that were 0-3 feet from the basket last year. That’s a lot lower than his rookie year when he shot 73.3% on those same field goal attempts.
Those percentages have to be a lot higher in year three for Deni. One way he could fix this issue is by going up stronger when he’s near the basket. Deni isn’t the most athletically gifted player, but it wouldn’t hurt if he tried to finish with more ferocity.. In his rookie year, 0.5% of his field goal attempts were dunks compared to only 0.2% in year two. He made 11 dunk attempts as a rookie with that number dropping to 7 last season.
On the other hand, Deni did do a much better job at creating contact in his second season. Both his free throw attempts and percentages increased from his rookie season. Last season, he attempted 1.7 free throws per game and hit 76% of them, compared to just 0.8 and 64% as a rookie. That’s a solid improvement. However, it would still be nice to see him get his attempts to at least 3 or 4 a game.
This offseason will be crucial to see if he develops more crafty finishes around the rim since he can’t rely strictly on his athleticism. For one, he needs to get a lot better with his left hand because this would help his percentages drastically. Last season, he often struggled when defenders sent him left. Head coach Wes Unseld Jr. also mentioned this when he spoke about what Deni should work on this summer.
When asked about how Deni could improve this offseason, Wes Unseld Jr. said, “He’s obviously a skilled playmaker. It’s a little thing, but improving his court vision, making plays with his left hand, attacking and scoring with his left hand.” Improvement in these specific areas would help Deni be more effective off the dribble and around the basket.