Deni Avdija is walking into the Portland Trail Blazers’ Play-In Tournament test against the Phoenix Suns as the team’s most complete two-way force. The 25-year-old forward finished the regular season averaging 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists while leading Portland to a 42-40 record and a spot in the Western Conference play-in field.
For Avdija, the biggest shift has been the freedom to operate as a point-forward. “I think it’s kind of the bread and butter for me,” he told Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson. “Everytime I get the ball, I’m looking up and trying to create and I’m very confident in my skill to do it.”
That confidence has come with responsibility on both ends. Avdija said the NBA grind forced him to sharpen his game through repetition, noting, “I think just being way more consistent,” and adding that the league’s physicality against elite athletes “is challenging but you get used to it and you pick your spots and you get stronger and you get better.”
On defense, he made clear what kind of matchup brings out his edge. “I think a physical guard; a physical guard or a physical forward,” he said. “Guards that are shifty, I can stay in front, but I feel like there’s something when the physicality aspect comes, I’m very physical and it’s a part of my nature and I take pride in that.”
Avdija also explained the mentality that has kept him steady through the highs and lows of Portland’s season. “I don’t feel like there’s a reset button,” he said. “I feel like I keep trusting the process, keep trusting the work.” He added that he is “not afraid to shoot” and believes in “staying confident in believing in your way and believing in your work.”
His European background still shows in the details, even as his role has expanded in the NBA. “I refuse to give up the craftiness in the paint, the fakes, the slow-steps,” he said. “What I kinda gained is probably becoming smarter and knowing how to be physical and draw fouls.”
For Portland, that blend of size, skill and toughness is exactly why Avdija has become so central to the team’s future. He said the Blazers’ young core “is playing the right way and you can see the progress throughout the year,” and with Phoenix next, he views the moment as a chance to prove the growth is real.
