The weight of an entire country? Between pressure and motivation for Deni Avdija

NBA – The only Israeli player to play in the NBA, the Wizards winger returned to his career, which propelled him to the highest level of world basketball.

“Thanalysis” podcast guest hosted by Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Deni Avdija shares with the latter the fact of having left Europe to try his luck in the NBA. Even if the paths of the two men are very different.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo thus tried his luck across the Atlantic at 21 in the shadow of the G-League while Deni Avdija was propelled to Washington via the 2020 Draft, where he arrived as the 9th choice. The change was radical after three years at Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he learned to grow up without asking questions.

“It was crazy, I didn’t see it coming”he confided. “To be honest, I was focused on the present moment. All the players say to themselves: ‘I want to be in the league, I want to be in the NBA’, but I didn’t really have that idea in mind. It’s not like I didn’t have a goal, I just wanted to be the best Deni I could be.”

An adaptation to manage, on and off the pitch

The first challenge was therefore to adapt to a new country, a new culture and a new gaming environment, which was more competitive and overall more demanding. His first year was thus the year of all learning. He had to fight and prove himself to show that he could have a role in the rotation of the Wizards.

“It’s different, it’s like everything I already had at home, but bigger”he added. “Sometimes I miss my country, you know, it’s hard for me. I needed to get through my rookie year, all the fears and all the stress, on my own. So I feel like it really made me mature.”

To adapt, the key was to focus on yourself and your areas for improvement, in order to transform what may seem like pressure into a source of motivation.

“First of all, you have to be your first supporter. In the end, only you know what you are capable of. You know your limits, no one else knows them. No one else really knows what you can be, who you can become, and all that is inside of you. People believe in you, but they will never believe in you as you believe in yourself”.

After Omri Casspi, Gal Mekel and TJ Leaf, Deni Avdija has only become the fourth Israeli player in history to play in the NBA. Here again, this singularity is accompanied by its share of expectations.

“I think it was a bit more difficult for me because I have the weight of the whole country on my shoulders. I’m the only Jewish player, the only Israeli player in the league. I know that my country is behind me and watching my every step. I feel like people look up to me. I want to represent my country, I want to be All-Star, I have dreams. But I also know that my country is behind me and is watching my every step”.

How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.