Deni Avdija quietly becomes Portland’s best player to start 2025-26 season
On Wednesday, November 5, the Trail Blazers hosted the undefeated Thunder. Although Portland trailed 41-21 in the first quarter, it fought back in the next three quarters.
The Trail Blazers defeated the Thunder 64-54 in the second half and won the game 121-119. Power forward Deni Avdija led the team with a near triple-double on Wednesday. This is his sixth career season and second with Portland. Deni Avdija has quietly emerged as the Trail Blazers’ No. 1 player to start the 2025-26 season. If he continues this kind of performance, he may become an All-Star for the first time.
Deni Avdija gets off to a hot start in 2025-26 season for Trail Blazers
Deni Avdija Tonight:
26 points
10 Rebus
9 Aspartate aminotransferase
2 STLS
1 pieceTrail Blazers’ best win of the season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5AXLrBwhx8
— RIPCITYY🌹 (@shaesharpeshow) November 6, 2025
In the 2020 NBA Draft, the Wizards selected Deni Avdija with the 9th overall pick in the first round. He was drafted straight out of high school and played professionally for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel. Deni Avdija spent the first four seasons of his NBA career in Washington. He played in 287 games and started 155 of them. Avdija averaged 14.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in his best season with the Wizards.
In the 2024 offseason, the Wizards traded Deni Avdija to the Trail Blazers. In return, the Wizards received Malcolm Broadgang, the 14th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft (Booboo Carrington), a 2029 first-round pick and two second-round picks. Brogdon has since retired from the NBA. However, Deni Avdija continues to expand his skillset.
“I love this team” – Deni Avdija on IG 🥹❤️ pic.twitter.com/qkvUa88Sye
— ᴛʏʟᴇʀ (@blazersforreal) November 6, 2025
Through eight games into the 2025-26 season, Deni Avdija has been a solid performer for the Trail Blazers. If the season ended today, he would be averaging career highs of 24.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 33.4 minutes per game. In addition, Avdija averaged 6.5 rebounds per game for Portland. The 24-year-old is playing his biggest role yet in the NBA and is making the most of it. The Trail Blazers handed the Thunder their first loss of the season on Tuesday night.
Deni Avdija scored a team-high 29 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists. He also contributed 2 steals and 1 block in 37 minutes of play. Avdija is one assist away from his third career triple-double. Regardless, the Trail Blazers pulled off a huge win against the defending NBA champions. The Trail Blazers are 5-3 in their first eight games and will face the Heat on the road on Saturday. Can Deni Avdija continue to provide quality performance for the Trail Blazers as the new season begins?
