Oct 8, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8) shoots in front of Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield (7) during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images John Hefti-Imagn Images

Blazers’ Deni Avdija Receives Major Prediction From Rival GMs

Originally posted on Portland Trail Blazers on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated Oct 11, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the teams looking to make a move in a very crowded Western Conference. Rising up the ranks would be much easier for them if they were in the impotent East.

Alas, they are not, so they need some young guys to step up and make some great improvements this year. That includes forward Deni Avdija, who might be their best overall player.

Avdija showed his potential as a scorer, rebounder, and playmaker with the Trail Blazers last season. GMs across the NBA liked what they saw from him.

Trail Blazers Forward Deni Avdija Picked to Have a Breakout Season

In a preseason poll sent out to all NBA GMs by NBA.com's John Schuhmann, Deni Avdija was one of the players picked to possibly have a breakout season.

Amen Thompson won the poll, getting 30 percent of the vote. His brother, Ausar, Brandon Miller, and Victor Wembanyama all tied for second with 10 percent of the vote. Franz Wagner was next with seven percent.

Avdija has a lot of admirers around the league, especially in Portland. They loved what he was able to do for them last season, and they believe that he can be the best player for them this year.

The biggest thing holding Avdija back is his defense, which is just average. Improving defensively would give Avdija all of the tools to be a future All-Star.

Trail Blazers Forward Deni Avdija is Prepared to Have an Uptick in Opportunities

It seems pretty clear that Avdija is the most consistent offensive player that the Blazers have on a night-to-night basis. That will give him more chances to have the ball in his hands this year.

Avdija will likely be one of the primary creators for his teammates, alongside Jrue Holiday. With Scoot Henderson out for the start of the year, Avdija will get a chance to flash his playmaking chops.

Taking the Blazers to the playoffs would be an incredible thing to put on his resume, but he needs some help from his teammates.

Last season, Avdija averaged 16.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. He shot 47.6 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.