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The 2025-26 NBA season has been an interesting one for the Portland Trail Blazers. Their head coach was arrested after being part of an illegal gambling ring, just one game into the season. Just like in years past, they have dealt with significant injuries.
Former top-3 pick Scoot Henderson is yet to play this season. Damian Lillard is likely to miss the entire campaign. On top of that, Jrue Holiday has now been out for an extended period of time.
The good news though, is that Deni Avdija is still here. And his showing against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night was a historic one.
Avdija put up a final line of 31 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists. He even had a double-double by halftime. Avdija is the only player in franchise history to ever have a 30/15/10 line, and he now has two of them.
Thought the team ultimately fell short of the victory against the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, Avdija’s triple-double moved him up the leaderboards. It was his fourth in a Portland uniform, one more than Lillard himself had posted.
The Israeli forward is now tied with Nicolas Batum (4) for the fifth-most triple-doubles in team history.
Deni Avdija On A Heater
There hasn’t been much Deni Avdija has not been able to do in Portland this year. The sixth-year forward, still just 24 years of age, has increased his scoring with every passing campaign.
Avdija is averaging career-highs across the board, and not just in points this year. How does 26 points, six rebounds, and six assists per game sound? Still in just his second year with this team and making just $13 mil a year, Portland has discovered the cornerstone that they can build their entire team around.
He has made the game look incredibly easy, and has made every single player around him better this year.
It’s a tough time in the Western Conference with teams like the OKC squad that beat them tonight. Like the unstoppable Denver Nuggets and rising Houston Rockets. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have been a superstar duo for the Los Angeles Lakers.
But considering that Avdija is just 24 years of old, the team can absolutely round into shape around him. The supporting pieces have had some big nights.
After all, they are the only team to beat OKC (20-1) all year long.
Deni Avdija, NBA All-Star?
Now that Deni Avdija has passed Damian Lillard on the franchise triple-double list, the next thing to tackle is his All-Star candidacy. With the new format now being American + International players, it certainly helps the Israel forward’s odds.
He has been playing at a high level, while his team has been able to win games as a direct result of his excellence. The numbers he is putting up this season would be an automatic bid once upon a time. Considering that players like Tyrese Maxey and Trae Young have had mammoth campaigns and fallen short in years past, nothing is a given.
In a year where scoring is at an all-time high, Avdija’s 25.5 ppg rank 16th in the league. That is good enough though, to be fifth among foreign-born players.
As long as the Blazers win enough games, he should absolutely remain a strong candidate. Look for the forward to continue playing at a high level as the season continues.
Zach Weiss Zach Weiss is a sports reporter covering the NBA for Heavy. He also hosts a podcast about the Cleveland Cavaliers, “Across the Cavs,” and serves as a sports broadcaster for various institutions in the Greater NYC Area. He wrote for Knup Sports for six years. More about Zach Weiss
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