3 Ways Deni Avdija can finally meet expectations in 2022-23

No.1 – Be more aggressive and confident

The Washington Wizards would absolutely love to see Deni play with the same confidence he had in Israel. Oftentimes, it seems as though he doesn’t trust himself on the offensive end. He is a solid defender and a pretty good passer, but it would be nice to see him take some initiative on the offensive from time to time.

It’s not hard to see that he has all the intangibles to make a bigger impact offensively. However, he often plays timid or passive whenever he touches the rock. I understand that he usually has to take a backseat to Bradley Beal and the other veterans ahead of him. He only averaged 7.1 field goal attempts per game last year and just 5.8 the year before that.

If Deni wants to start finding a better rhythm within the game, then he has to put up more shots. He’ll never truly be able to get it going if he’s afraid to let it fly every now and then. He took 10 or more shot attempts in only 20 out of the 82 games he played.

For reference, Corey Kispert, who was a rookie last season, took more than 10 field goal attempts  19 times in 77 games. I understand Kispert is a sharpshooter, but it’s clear he doesn’t hesitate when the ball is in his hands. Deni needs to come into year three with that same mindset and take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to him. He can’t pass up open looks because he wants to get his teammates involved.

It’s time for him to be a little more selfish so that he can start building up his confidence. All the great scorers in the league have that dog in them. Deni already has that on the defensive end, but he needs to show he has it on offense as well.