Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija is getting attention from ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, who thinks the Israeli national could play his way on to the international All-Star team this season.
Pelton included
Avdija among a list of 10 emerging stars around the league trying to make the All-Star game for the first time.
“Over the course of his first season in Portland, Avdija emerged as the Blazers’ best player, averaging 23.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists after the All-Star break with 50-40 shooting splits… If the Blazers can stay in the playoff mix, Avdija figures to be their most prominent All-Star candidate.”
Avdija has continued his strong play through seven games this season. He scored a game-high 33-points in last night’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, boosting his average to 24.1 points per game, good for 19th in the league. He is shooting 49.1 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from behind the 3-point line, and is second on the team in both rebounding (6 per game) and assists (3.9 per game).
The NBA is changing its All-Star weekend format in 2026 in an attempt to inject some drama into the event, which has been widely criticized in recent years due to a lack of effort from the players. One way to inject energy would be to include Avdija, one of the league’s most relentless competitors.
The game will take place at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on February 15, 2026 and consist of a round-robin tournament between three 8-man teams — two featuring American players and one featuring international players.
