“New Blazers Wing unpacks its first-ever Rock game with Portland”

New Portland Trail Blazers small forward Deni Avdija is still finding his way onto the roster.

The former Washington Wizards lottery pick made his preseason debut on Sunday in a 105-85 win over the Sacramento Kings. However, Avdija had a rather modest performance, scoring just under five points on 2 of 8 shots from the floor, while also chipping in five boards and two dimes (against two turnovers) in less than 20 minutes.

According to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian, Avdija admitted after a team practice on Tuesday that he was a little rusty while also adjusting to his new colleagues in Portland.

“I’m trying to figure out a style of play,” Avdija said. “Find out how to play with the boys. It was my first official game since April last year. It was nice to be out there, running well and catching my breath.”

Avdija noted that he finds out how his colleagues compete, their unique playing styles and how they approach their preparation.

“I feel like every team is different,” Avdija said. “Every team plays at a different pace, in a different style. I’m still getting used to it. There are a lot of habits I made with Washington that I need to break now that I’m playing for Portland.”

Avdija added that he wanted to be patient on the field and not push his offense.

“I think I shouldn’t be really aggressive,” Avdija added. “But I feel like you have to put in a little bit of effort to see where you stand.”

On Wednesday, however, Avdija more than recovered in his second game ever for Portland. In the 111:100 win over the German club Ratiopharm Ulm, the 1.90 meter tall veteran scored 18 points on 6 of 9 shots from the field (0 of 1 from distance) and also provided three assists, caught a few steals and blocked a shot and grabbed a rebound, all in just 23:01.

Avdija still has some time to adjust his game before the start of the 2024-25 regular season.

Portland’s preseason finale will be a battle against another of the Western Conference’s expected bottom teams, the Utah Jazz, on Friday night. The matchup begins at 7:00 p.m. PT. The Trail Blazers’ regular season begins next Wednesday, October 23rd with a home game against the high-scoring Golden State Warriors.

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