Deni Avdija Addresses MVP Chants During Win Over Rockets

Deni Avdija's All-Star season is starting to break containment and turn into something even more pronounced for the Portland Trail Blazers: an MVP narrative, if not exactly a true MVP-caliber campaign.

On Wednesday night at the Moda Center, during a 103-102 win over the Houston Rockets, Avdija received "MVP" chants for his 41-point outburst as he attempted an and-1 free-throw with under a minute remaining in the game.

Even though Avdija missed the free throw because of the chants, he shared a grateful tone about receiving them in the first place.

“It’s just a compliment,” Avdija said. “I mean, this is some stuff you hear in (video games), like, when you drop 60 points. It’s just fun to see it in real life and see how much Portland loves you. I play so hard every game. I’m sacrificing my body. Two injuries. No sleep. To see the fans love and welcome. It’s just amazing for any player. And it’s a compliment, for sure.”

Deni Avdija Getting His Flowers This Season

Avdija's big day and subsequent celebration came in the wake of LeBron James and Steve Nash recognizing his play on their Mind The Game podcast.

Nash gave props to Avdija for his ability to draw free throws and his improvements in efficiency and play-making. James, while obviously not addressing Avdija's unpopular penchant for getting to the line, for obvious reasons, did give Avdija props for improving his shooting.

"He's a physical, physical driver to the rim. And if you don't have a body in front of him, if you're on the side of him, then he's going to get that foul call. He's super physical, especially going downhill to his right hand. And like you said, he's worked a lot on his outside shooting, too. When he was in Washington, that's the one thing he didn't have. He's always had this speed with the ball. Very fast with the ball downhill to his right hand, big body, big wing. But this year in particular, I've seen him expand his range and make some shots from the perimeter at a more consistent rate. And it's resulted in him having a breakout career year so far," James said.

James improved his game in a similar manner during his time with the Miami Heat, winning a pair of titles in the process. By the time he returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers, he was essentially a finished product on the floor.

James has seen that leap. He's made it himself. Notably, he's seeing the kind of improvement in Avdija's game that he had over a decade ago.

No one is saying Avdija is the next LeBron, but his rate of growth is undeniably similar.