Washington Wizards: Deni Avdija needs to be better on offense

Deni Avdija has been the most hyped-up draft prospect that the Washington Wizards have had in years, he has potential to be the steal of his draft is he develops into what he could be. That being said, he has not been good enough for the Wizards this season.

While he puts up pretty good numbers for a 21-year-old in the NBA, especially a defensive oriented player, his three-point shot in particular is essentially nonexistent this year. He is currently shooting a miserable 26.5% from beyond the arc, worse than Russell Westbrook’s.

Avdija is also not making shots within the three-point arc as he is only hitting 48.4% of his shots from two. These poor numbers combine for a dreadful 39.3% from the field. This is unacceptable for a player on a team trying to contend. Even if the record doesn’t show it.

This is a noticeable dip from last season where he shot significantly better from the just about everywhere. Still not good percentages, but his high caliber defense made up for is lack of game on offense. It’s not enough anymore.

If the Washington Wizards want to win games, they need Deni Avdija to be at the center of their turn around.

While the three headed beast of Bradley Beal, Kyle Kuzma, and Kristaps Porzingis has been nothing short of phenomenal, there is only so much they can do without help. Deni Avdija is one of the more talented role players on the roster, so he is one of the players that needs to step up.

While he may not be the only player disappointing to start the season, he is a player that when he has everything going for him, can affect winning at a higher rate than anybody else on the roster. He needs to gain consistency with his scoring.

His defensive prowess allows him to still be effective even if his shots aren’t falling, but if he were averaging 15 points per game on good efficiency, this team would be hard to beat.

His impact is massive when he’s a scoring threat, it opens up the floor for the big three while also putting pressure on opponents with his defense. His impact will be key to the Wizards making a turnaround this season.

It’s good to see Avdija getting to the rim as often as he is, but he has no midrange shot to threaten the defense when he drives the ball. If he can figure out how to be a three-level threat on offense by the end of the season, the Wizards have championship potential.

We’ve never seen Avdija take many shots from the mid-range as over two thirds of his shots come from the three-point line or right at the rim. This would be a welcome addition to his game, especially if his three-point percentage goes up.

While much of his struggles to start the season are likely just a nasty shooting slump hurting his early season numbers, Deni Avdija’s success as an individual player often correlates with the Washington Wizards success as a team.