Proving Ground: Deni Avdija Enters the Most Critical Season of His NBA Career

If you had told the average Israeli basketball fan a few years ago that in the autumn of 2026 Deni Avdija would already be counting six seasons in the NBA and entering his seventh as an All-Star after leading a team to the Western Conference playoffs, starring in a crucial play-in game, and putting up insane averages of 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game, they would have probably asked for the exact same substance you are taking.

And yet, following a breakout career year last season, the countdown to the 2026/27 campaign is in full swing, bringing along the overarching question of the summer: the question of continuity. Can Deni maintain his status among the league's elite forwards? Is he capable of replicating the magic and exploding even further, or was this merely a one-time performance?

The winds of change in Portland

First and foremost, standing on the sidelines is a brand-new head coach: Micah Nuri. This change arrives alongside a difficult parting from Tiago Splitter, who was deeply connected to Deni, served as his personal mentor and close training developer, and was an integral part of his meteoric rise. Avdija will now have to build a new relationship from scratch with a coach known for being well-liked by players, which could ease the integration, while simultaneously proving that his abilities do not depend on any single coach, but are rather the product of personal maturity and sheer quality.

Another equally significant change lies in the roster: the return to the courts of Damian Lillard, coupled with the arrival of Ja Morant, who joins following turbulent years, a professional decline, and off-court incidents. Together, they form a fascinating backcourt full of question marks. On one hand, it involves two players with whom it is exceptionally difficult to maintain solid defense. On the other hand, offensively, Lillard brings lethal shooting and vast experience, while Morant still possesses devastating potential in the positive sense of the word.

Impact on Avdija's role

How does all of this affect Deni? On one side, the ball is expected to spend less time in his hands with two such dominant ball-handlers, and he will have to step up and do more dirty work on defense to cover for the backcourt's limitations—a point that Micah Nuri already addressed last night. On the other side, the attention drawn by Lillard and Morant will clear up blind spots for Deni, open three-pointers, and cutting windows to the paint, which he knows how to exploit at the highest level.

We received our first preliminary indication of things to come last night in the opening preseason game against the Golden State Warriors, who admittedly played with a secondary lineup on the second night of a back-to-back. Even so, in just 21 minutes, Deni finished with 23 points, served as the key playmaker in numerous attacks, and above all, looked fresh, crisp, and sharp.

Looking ahead to expectations

If you ask the betting agencies, they predict the Trail Blazers will finish 7th or 8th in the tough Western Conference, securing a spot in the play-in or playoffs. Conversely, a large portion of leading analysts in the U.S. argue that this volatile mix will not hold together, and the team might actually regress.

As the seventh season approaches, it can already be dubbed the "season of proof." It will test maturity, stability, leadership, and above all, Deni Avdija's ongoing development and cementation as an NBA star. It will demand adaptation, defensive elevation, the replication of last season's offensive prowess, and quiet leadership.

For us, this means filling up the fridge, setting alarm clocks for the small hours of the night, surviving on very little sleep, and experiencing immense anticipation and excitement for what is shaping up to be the most fascinating season of his career.