As the 2021-22 NBA season kicked off Tuesday night, Israeli fans will again fix their collective gaze on their man in the best league in the world – Dani Avdija – when the Israeli forward and his Washington Wizards teammates host the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.
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Avdija held a press conference with reporters to discuss his feelings ahead of his second NBA season, after an ankle injury last April cut his rookie season short.
"Everyone is trying to help me and offer me advice and I'm listening to every word they say. We had a good pre-season; I feel ready and am looking forward to a good start to the season," Avdija said. "We have good players on the team, we're moving the ball around well, bringing energy from the bench and always try improving our play."
In terms of his personal goals heading into his second season, Avdija said: "The people around me who love me always tell me I need to understand that things take time. I expected to be better in my first practice than I was before the injury, but that's not something that happens right away. It will happen, but it's a process. I need to work hard, slowly and patiently to improve every day and that's what I'm trying to do. My first goal is for the team to succeed; I want to be the first Israeli [to play] in the playoffs and to go as far as possible, even if it means coming off the bench and not starting, that's totally fine."
On the rehabilitation process following his season-ending injury last year, the Israeli star said, "I went through a long rehab and just worked. Guys from the team helped me work out, strengthen my ankle and get back in shape, so it wasn't a fun summer, but I wanted to feel even more prepared than last season and I sacrificed my [summer] vacation to that end. All in all, I'm an aggressive guy, but I need time to get back to myself because I'm still in the process of getting back with my body. Six months is a long time to be out, but be sure the aggressiveness is the same."
Discussing the Wizards' decision to pick up the option on his rookie contract, he said, "I'm never satisfied; even when I played at Maccabi Tel Aviv I was always hungry for more. You always want to get better as a player and progress, to be better and improve myself and not rest for even a minute; I'm always willing to work hard."
Avdija and his teammates will have to get accustomed to a new coaching staff after head coach Scott Brooks was let go during the offseason.
"There's more ball movement and basketball flow [under the new staff]; these are things we're working on. The best style of play in my opinion involves moving the ball and making sure everyone touches it, which is something we're emphasizing. Our second unit brings energy, moves the ball around and sometimes also just gets the ball to the hot hand," he said.
Wes Unseld Jr., the Wizards' new coach, said of the Israeli forward: "I've watched him these past two months and he is a better player, he's showing progress and that's a positive thing. I think he has more room to grow. He isn't worried about the number of minutes he gets and we consider him someone we can move forward with; we have expectations of him and are aware of his considerable potential. I think he has the ability to function as a playmaker. This season, his role will be more significant and I want him to play some crunch-time minutes, but he isn't there yet. He wasn't there last season and I want him to get the ball more. I saw him do it in practice and he's possibly a bit frustrated over his shot right now, but he's improving on offense and practicing really well."
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