What to Expect From Deni Avdija in 2026-2027

Deni Avdija ascended to the upper echelon of the NBA last season when he was named an All-Star for the first time for the Portland Trail Blazers.

However, he seems to be largely overlooked when it comes to discussing the best players in the game at the moment.

The only way to stop being overlooked though is to do it all again, and do it at an even higher clip.

Avdija, 25, seems primed to make the greater NBA landscape start remembering the name.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija drives to the basket against Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Repeat All-Star

In order to really stay in that best of the best conversation, Avdija has to prove last year wasn’t an outlier and consistently show that he can be a 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game kind of player.

The good news is that the Blazers definitely still need him to be the engine of the offseason, even with the addition of Ja Morant and the comeback of Damian Lillard.

Avdija proved to be one the best drivers to the basket in the league and averaged 9.2 free throw attempts per game last season, good enough for second in the NBA.

Morant can also be a prolific driver, which seems like it could cut into Avdija’s chances. But Morant has proven to also deal with a number of injuries, which seems like those attempts at the hoop should lean toward Avdija.

Mix in the shooting of Lillard and possibly some other additions stepping up beyond the arc like Micah Potter or Vit Krejci shooting better, and Avdija also has an avenue to increase his assist output.

At the end of the day though, it’s going to be on Avdija’s shoulders. Playing at high level consistently is what truly separates the good from the greats. And the Israeli has proven he can reach the threshold, now he has to put in the work to do it on a nightly basis for another 82 games.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija shoots over San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell in the 2026 NBA Playoffs. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Improved shooting

The weirdest part of Avdija’s 2025-2026 season was the drop in 3-point shooting, going from 37.4 percent in 2023-2024 and 36.5 percent in 2024-2025 to a not-good 31.8 percent in 2025-2026.

His early role with Washington coming up was primarily as a 3-point shooter, which is what made last year such a large transition with the Blazers using him more prominently in the offense.

Now that Avdija has played a year in his new offensive role, I expect him to get the 3-point shot back as he looks to continue expanding his offense prowess.

He’s obviously proven he can shoot the deep ball and at a high clip, and it was pretty much the only thing missing from his offensive game last season.

Despite the dip in percentage, Avdija still had his career high in threes made per game with 1.9 a night, and he did it on the most attempts per game of his career with six per game.

If Avdija can get that percentage closer to his previous marks above 35 percent, he could be looking at 30 PPG season, which not many players can say they ever reached in the Association.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija brings the ball up court against the New Orleans Pelicans. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Keep on the turbo boots

What helps make Avdija such a tough guard on offense is the fact he can also get out and run on any opposing defense.

He didn’t earn the nickname Turbo for nothing.

Turbo will only be turning 26 this season, which means there’s plenty of fuel still left in those rocket shoes.

This is where adding a piece like Morant is most exciting as Avdija will have a clear running mate in transition, alongside another youngster in Toumani Camara, instead of dragging 30-year-olds like Jrue Holiday or Jerami Grant down the court.

With Morant being a rim threat, Avdija can decide between attacking or even pumping the brakes for a transition three. He’s proven to be a good decision maker in these moments, and I expect that to stay in 2026-2027.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija scores a basket against Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Overall

Everyone likes to see the “breakout” year Avdija had, but plenty of players have had those and showed it to be a flash in the pan.

Avdija this season can step into the role of being a star player that every title-winning squad needs to contend for the crown.

Some will say he’s unlikely to live up to that role, but I’m sure those folks thought the same about Nikola Jokic or Jalen Brunson, and look at what they’ve accomplished.

Avdija could be that diamond emerging from the rough, the Blazers just need to help scrape away the dirt and dust and let him shine again this season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google