Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe recently highlighted six shocking NBA players on The Bill Simmons Podcast, one of whom was Portland Trail Blazers rising star Deni Avdija.
Simmons mentions that he has Avdija ranked as the 22nd best player in the league, but perhaps most importantly, believes he can be the best player on a winning team. Lowe had him in the 30s, noting that he ranked some more established veterans ahead of Avdija. Either way, we've already come quite a long way.
Deni Avdija has ascended to top-25 status
Various outlets didn't even have Avdija ranked inside the top 100 in the 2024-25 season.