NBA Draft Profiles: If Deni Avdija played college basketball last season, he would've almost certainly been a top-10 player
Eye On College Basketball
CBS Sports
4.6 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 21 August 2020
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The fifth discussion in our draft-profile series focuses for the first time on an international prospect. Deni Avdija is now being regarded as a better NBA pick than all but maybe three players who played college basketball last season. What to know, why he's intriguing, why his situation should never be compared to Luka Dončić. Parrish and Norlander did their homework, and we think you'll enjoy getting to know more about one of the biggest 2020 draft risers over the past six months.
Transcript
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| 1:27.3 | Progressive.com. Norlander has in six. So Norlander, I'll let you get the conversation started. |
| 1:32.1 | What do you see when you watch Denny, Ovidya? |
| 1:35.7 | Well, I'll spend it back just real quick here. I am in the minority and it's not a drastic minority, |
| 1:41.7 | but I think this is a minority. All the same. There are two players that are top 10 locks that are |
| 1:47.2 | international players. No one else really from an international standpoint enters in that conversation. |
| 1:51.6 | I do think that international players will pepper this draft in the way they have for the past 15 |
| 1:58.1 | years. Once we get to maybe like 16, 17 through the second round, but there are only two guys from |
| 2:02.0 | overseas that are going to go in the top 10. And I'm bigger on Killian Hayes than I am Denny Ovidya. |
| 2:07.8 | Ovidya has been interesting because he has been a steady and consistent riser from best I can tell |
| 2:13.5 | over the past eight to 12 months. And then because he's had the benefit of playing a lot during this |
| 2:19.5 | pandemic and giving general managers and scouts an opportunity, even though it's not in person for |
| 2:25.7 | the most part, to see him play and to see him improve. I do think that's why you've seen Denny Ovidya |
| 2:32.6 | for those trying to spell a keep up at home, AVDIJA. He's been consistently rising to the point |
| 2:39.9 | now where you are seeing his name pop into the top five. As GP mentioned, he's got him fifth on his |
| 2:44.8 | board. And I do like that we're mixing it up here a little bit. Guess podcasts listeners, we're |
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