Chicago Bulls: 2020 NBA Mock Draft 1.0
SF Deni Avdija, Isreal
Just so we’re all on the same page, my order of lottery draft picks went:
- Golden State takes James Wiseman (C) Memphis
- Cleveland takes Obi Toppin (F) Dayton
- Minnesota takes Anthony Edwards (G) Georgia
- Atlanta takes Onyeka Okongwu (F/C) USC
- Detroit takes LaMelo Ball (G) USA
- New York takes Tyrese Haliburton (G/F) Iowa State
- Chicago takes Deni Avdija (F) Israel
- Charlotte takes Cole Anthony (G) North Carolina
- Washington takes Isaac Okoro (F) Auburn
- Phoenix takes Precious Achiuwa (F) Memphis
- San Antonio takes Killian Hayes (G/F) France
- New Orleans takes Devin Vassell (G/F) Florida State
- Sacramento takes Patrick Williams (F) Florida State
- MEM (traded to BOS) takes RJ Hampton (G) USA
CBS has a similar order of the first six players being taken, though to different teams. I’m putting Deni Avdija in the seven-spot, as the Bulls take a position of need and debatably the best young wing in the draft.
I did mention earlier a possibility of overseas prospects being more difficult to lure over to the US because of the virus, but Karnisovas has the worldwide basketball reputation to make this work.
Avdija is a 19-year-old forward from Israel, currently playing professionally with the Maccabi Tel Aviv ball club. This season, he averaged 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in less than 22 minutes per contest according to tankathon.com.
The Good
While that stat line isn’t particularly sexy, his per 36 minutes stats are quite impressive. In that area, Avdija averages a 15-7-3 split while averaging over a block and a steal.
The Israeli prospect stands 6-foot-9 and although he doesn’t have an official wingspan, his defensive aptness via the visual test suggests the idea that he is quite long. His defensive awareness is flat-out awesome for such a young player, which could be his best attribute to translate to the NBA level.
His 3.3 assists per 36 come across as just okay for a wing, but his court vision is fantastic. There are several highlights that show terrific feeds to his teammates in transition as well as in the half-court.
He’s nothing remarkable in terms of speed but Avdija can post up against smaller guards and wings down low. He can also use his body to create space for his own shot, or drive and kick out to an open shooter.
Avdija also rebounds the ball fairly well for his position, which can be combined with his court vision, making him another person to grab the ball to start the break.
The young forward could potentially be an Otto Porter Jr. replacement that doesn’t cost nearly $30 million and leap Chandler Hutchison in the rotation if he can develop a more consistent jump shot.
The Not So Good
The passing ability is above average, but the amount of turnovers and the assist-to-turnover ratio is cause for concern. I believe this is an easy fix if Avdija can learn to make the simple play more consistently instead of trying to make the highlight reel.
Another huge concern is his jump shot consistency and mechanics. Shooting just above 33 percent from downtown is a red flag for any would-be NBA forward, and his free-throw percentage (58.8) is even more eyebrow-raising, not that he manages to get to the charity stripe much.
There is a lot of risk in this pick falling flat and a lot of people could point to Isaac Okoro from Auburn as a substitute, or not a wing at all. However, I believe Avdija to be the best available at seven while also hitting a position of need for Chicago.