Deni Avdija’s first two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers gave the franchise exactly the kind of jolt Joe Cronin was hoping for when he pulled off what looks like a steal of a trade. Avdija has already turned that move into an All-Star selection, and his rise has helped change the direction of Portland’s rebuild.
Still, the Blazers’ first-round playoff exit against the San Antonio Spurs made the gap pretty clear: they have a rising star, but they still need another one. Portland needs a real co-star next to Avdija, whether that ends up being Ja Morant, Damian Lillard, or someone else not on the current roster.
For now, the easiest way for the Blazers to raise their ceiling is to get even more out of Avdija himself. At 25, he’s still getting better.
Against the Spurs, Avdija’s playoff series was solid by the standards he set during his breakout season. His physical style held up, and he was able to use his size to attack downhill and get to the line. That kind of game doesn’t always survive the postseason, so that part was encouraging.
What was missing, though, was the shot that made him such a problem during the regular season. With Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama protecting the paint for San Antonio, Portland needed Avdija to stretch the floor and help create enough space to get clean looks.
He did hit 35 percent of his threes in the series, so it wasn’t a total collapse. But he also didn’t look like the confident three-level scorer Blazers fans had been watching earlier in the year. The drop in volume told the same story: 6.0 attempts per game in the regular season, down to 4.0 in the playoffs.
That downturn wasn’t exactly a surprise. Avdija was working through a lingering back injury, and it clearly affected his shot. After the All-Star break, he made just 23.5 percent of his three-point attempts, and that slump spilled into the rest of his offense.
The shooting leap was the biggest question hanging over Avdija when he arrived from Washington. In his first three seasons with the Wizards, he hovered around 31 percent from deep. Then his efficiency jumped to 37.4 percent in his final season in the nation’s capital.
Some thought Portland was buying high on a hot streak that might not last, and early on with the Blazers, it looked like that concern might be real. Instead, the shot settled in, and once it did, everything else opened up. Avdija became the kind of matchup nightmare who can hurt you on the perimeter and then punish you when you try to close out.
That growth has only become more visible in Portland, where he’s taken on more of a point-forward role and started initiating more of the offense. Put that together with his improved shooting, and you get the All-Star season that followed - the first of what the Blazers are hoping will be many.
If the offseason gave his back enough time to recover, there’s a real chance Avdija looks even better this season. Back injuries are tricky, but a healthy version of him can push his game to another level.
And for all the attention that came with his breakout, Avdija still seems to be entering the 2026-27 season a little underrated. Portland’s postseason run brought more national spotlight, but it also came when he was clearly at his worst because of the back issue.
Last season was only the start. When Avdija is healthy, he’s one of the toughest players in the league to guard.
In Other News...
Blazers Playoff Hopes Come Down To One Uncomfortable Reality
The Trail Blazers did enough over the regular season and Play-In Tournament to reach the 2025-26 NBA Playoffs as the Wests No. 7 seed, a step forward that should have signaled real staying power. Instead, the conversation around Portland has quickly shifted to whether that breakthrough is built to last, especially with questions lingering about ownership direction, coaching stability and how well the roster actually fits together.
One anonymous NBA scout put the unease in blunt terms, framing Portland as a team he expects to slide back out of the playoff mix. At the center of it all is an awkward balancing act: whether Ja Morant and Damian Lillard can stay healthy and find a way to coexist while Deni Avdija remains the clubs primary offensive engine. If that combination does not settle quickly, the Blazers could discover how thin the margin is between a feel-good spring and a much harsher reality. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Move On From Keon Johnson And Raise An Immediate Question
Keon Johnsons latest stop ended almost as quickly as it began, with Atlanta waiving the former first-round pick shortly after bringing him in on an Exhibit 10 deal. The move leaves Johnson back on the market, and it also puts a few teams on alert as the veteran-free-agency shuffle keeps rolling late in the calendar.
Among the possibilities being floated are Denver, Chicago and Portland, with the Trail Blazers included because of their guard situation and the broader way their roster has been taking shape. Portland also recently moved on from guards Mark Sears and Barry Dunning, which only adds to the sense that there could be room for another look, even if nothing has been decided yet. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremy Sochan Puts Blazers Camp Battle In Sharp Focus
Jeremy Sochan arrives in Portland with the kind of profile that usually gets a closer look in training camp: young enough to develop, experienced enough to matter, and versatile enough to fit a roster that can always use another defender. The 23-year-old forward is entering his fifth NBA season after signing a one-year, non-guaranteed contract, and the Trail Blazers are clearly viewing him as a possible answer behind the main rotation rather than a finished product.
What makes Sochan intriguing is the same thing that makes his path uneasy. Portland likes the defensive flexibility he can bring by guarding multiple positions, but the offensive side of his game remains a limitation, which puts real weight on how he looks in camp and how he fits into the depth picture. For a team sorting through its backup forward options, his presence adds another layer to a competition that could come down to who can do the most without needing the ball. [Read more 🡒]