The Wizards hit the All-Star break with a scintillating career-high 43 points from fourth-year forward Deni Avdija. It felt like the kind of break-out game that augurs a launch into something special — even to a crusty old skeptic like me.
But, that crusty old skeptic part of my brain won’t just trust The Eye Test, and so I have to ask: Is what we’re seeing from Avdija truly a break out?
Let’s start with this: I’m comfortable saying the Valentine’s Day game was the best of Avdija’s career. He’s had two other games this season with higher PPA scores, but PPA is a per possession stat, and he sustained excellence over 40 minutes instead of 24 or 27.