MIAMI — Roughly 80 minutes before the national anthem Friday night, Deni Avdija stood at the top of Kaseya Center’s 3-point arc, honing his long-range shooting.
With Washington Wizards assistant coach Zach Guthrie standing nearby, the fourth-year forward launched attempt after attempt.
To simulate the conditions Avdija sees during games, team staff members mimicked what Avdija sees when he handles the basketball in a pick-and-roll. Monumental Basketball coaching associate Drake Lamont, a 6-foot-10 former college center, pretended as if he was setting a screen. Another coaching associate, Max Johns, a 6-foot-5 former college guard, stuck a hand near Avdija’s face.
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Many of Avdija’s long-distance shots, high-arcing and consistent, swished through the hoop, even with Lamont and Johns crowding Avdija’s space.
Countless sessions like that one — during the offseason in Israel, September workouts in Washington and in the month since the start of training camp — have made a significant difference in Avdija’s game during the first five games of the 2023-24 regular season. Avdija has sunk six of the 12 treys he has attempted so far, making him one of the few bright spots for the struggling, rebuilding Wizards.
“I’m more mature,” Avdija said Friday night, after the Wizards lost to the Miami Heat 121-114 in the teams’ inaugural game in the NBA In-Season Tournament.
“I’m making better decisions. I’m smarter. I’m more experienced. And I feel like my shot has really improved. It’s still early in the season — I want to knock on wood — but it’s heading in the right direction. I feel like I’m making really good steps.”
No one expects Avdija to continue to shoot 50 percent from 3-point range over the course of an entire season; that would be unrealistic for almost any player. But Avdija does seem to have made progress. He made 31 percent of his 3s over his first three NBA seasons combined, prompting NBA talent evaluators to label it as a glaring weakness heading into this season.
He looks more confident now. In the second minute of Friday’s game, he held the ball above the top of the arc and hoisted a shot from 25 feet over the outstretched left arm of perennial NBA Defensive Player of the Year candidate Bam Adebayo.
Swish. Just like his pregame practice session with Guthrie, Lamont and Johns.
Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. sees improvement in many facets of Avdija’s offensive skill set.
“To his credit,” Unseld said, “he’s worked on it all summer: his handle, finishing through contact, finishing in the paint, which at times was an issue in the past. So, we’re seeing growth there. He’s more comfortable shooting the 3. I think it’s a good start. I know it’s a small sample, but I think he will continue to grow.”
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Defensive woes
Avdija only commented about his offensive growth because he was asked a direct question about it.
The truth is, although he answered the question politely, he was not in much of a mood to dwell on himself.
He had good reason to feel reticent: The Wizards had just lost, and once again, an opponent decimated their defense. The Heat sank 60 percent of their shots, including 13-of-27 shooting from beyond the arc.
“Honestly, for now, it doesn’t really matter what I do on offense, man, as long as we keep losing like that,” Avdija said. “We’re trying to win, so we’ve got to change something, and I don’t know what it is.”
A pattern has emerged with the new-look Wizards. Through Friday, they rank last in the NBA in defensive rating, 29th in opponents’ field-goal percentage and 28th in opponents’ 3-point percentage.
On Wednesday night, they allowed the Atlanta Hawks to erupt for 40 points in the third quarter, as the Wizards’ shot-blocking center, Daniel Gafford, did not play because of a sprained left ankle.
On Friday night, the Heat followed suit, scoring 41 third-quarter points even though Gafford returned from his injury.
“It’s just something that we need to kind of figure out,” forward Kyle Kuzma said after the loss to the Heat. “For one, I think we need to play better and play a little bit harder, for sure, because this has been an issue in four out of five (games). And I think we all need to be better.”
Guard Jordan Poole said: “We’ve just got to be better out of halftime, honestly. It’s pretty simple as that.”
Defensive woes have been one of the defining characteristics throughout Unseld’s tenure as coach, with the Wizards finishing 25th in defensive rating in 2021-22 and 21st in defensive rating last season.
Part of the problem right now is that the Wizards have integrated eight new players on their 15-man roster, and the team needs more time to jell.
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Also a problem: The starting backcourt of Tyus Jones and Poole, for example, is not known for its defense. Kuzma’s defense is not at the level it was during his last two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers in part because the Wizards need him to carry a much heavier load as a scorer. Aside from Gafford, the Wizards don’t have players who protect the rim adeptly.
Asked to assess his team’s defense before tipoff Friday, Unseld responded, “It’s not where it should be. At times, we’ve been really good in stretches. And then there’s times where I think the offense, or lack thereof, affects the other end of the floor, and that’s what we want to try and get away from.”
A spirited end
The Heat built a 25-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, prompting Unseld to insert Ryan Rollins, Johnny Davis, Bilal Coulibaly, Eugene Omoruyi and Anthony Gill for mop-up duty.
The quintet went on a 15-0 run, forcing Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to sub Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry back into the game.
Avdija, Kuzma and Poole led the cheering on the Wizards’ bench, with Avdija urging the coaching staff to challenge an out-of-bounds call with 4:06 remaining. The challenge was successful, giving Washington the ball back.
“I got excited for them, man,” Avdija said. “I’m a fan. I’m a fan of playing hard. I’m a fan of the guys trying to (stage a) comeback. I was happy … like I was on the court. Those guys are playing hard. They’re working hard every day, and you’ve got to respect them for it.”
Welcome news
The Wizards did receive some good news in recent days.
Corey Kispert, who sprained his left ankle when he contested a Trae Young shot and landed on one of Young’s feet Wednesday, avoided a severe injury.
Kispert is walking normally, without crutches and without a walking boot. The goal now, he said, is to reduce the swelling and give his ankle time to heal.
“Looking back on the replay that I’ve seen, I’m feeling pretty lucky that it’s as tame (an injury) as it is,” Kispert said.
(Top photo of Deni Avdija: Sam Navarro / USA Today)