One NBA executive admits: We did not underestimate the potential of Danny Abdia

The United States is surprised by the defensive capabilities of the Israeli.

Forzingis is actually impressed by the management of the game: "He is not afraid to make moves, and I like that"

Walla!

sport

23/03/2022

Wednesday, March 23, 2022, 07:35

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Email

• Share on general

• Comments

  Comments

Danny Abdia after the win over the Lakers (Wizards' Twitter account)

Danny Abdia hopes to continue the trend of improvement towards the end of the season, and in recent days has often received compliments.

After scoring 17 points against the Lakers and showing sparks from his passing ability in a loss to Houston, there are also those in the NBA who are surprised by the Israeli's diverse abilities, even if some of them are still far from polished.

One of the league's team managers was even quoted last night (Tuesday) on NBC as saying that "before the draft, we were unable to see Abdia's defensive potential."

According to the publication, "Although Avdia has a long way to go to become a solid defensive player, this specific part of his game surprises quite a few people in the NBA."

More on Walla!

Bradley Bill looks from the side, and analyzes what's going on with Danny Abdia.

That sounds encouraging

To the full article

Few knew that he had.

Lost in defense (Photo: Reuters)

More on Walla!

• Bradley Bill looks from the side, and analyzes what's going on with Danny Abdia.

  That sounds encouraging

• Trey Young once again blazed in Madison Square Garden, Milwaukee defeated, Golden State disappointed

• Did elephants fly?

  The Sixers may not be as deadly as they thought they would be with Harden

• It is the natural treatment that overcomes all pain - without leaving home

Another ability that Abdia hopes to start seeing more of is related to game management, dedication and ball handling.

The 21-year-old forward did not get many opportunities to show these qualities in the best league in the world, but in the game against Houston, as mentioned, he showed some of them when he handed out 4 assists in the first half.

Kristaps Forzingis, Abdia's new teammate, is also impressed.

"Danny has good instincts with the ball. He knows how to find teammates available and push the ball in passing attacks," the Latvian said.

"He's not afraid to make moves, that's what I really like about him."

Forzingings said, "His dedication is pretty sly. Against Houston he penetrated the basket, knew I was approaching and boom - just handed me the ball without looking. It was pretty cool, and I expect him to keep making such moves later on."

Washington coach Wes Ansald Jr. is also hoping for that.

"It's another strength of Danny. He knows how to play pick and roll, but also excels in the open field. He has a good feel for the game, and he's slowly starting to show it."

Forzingis wants to see Abdia make more decisions with the ball (Photo: Reuters)

At the same time, Washington is still recognizing instability in Abdia, the youngest rotation player on the team by a considerable margin.

NBC also noted that the proof of this is the second half against Houston, in which he did not share a single assist and finished with 0 of 5 from the field.

• sport

• NBA

Tags

• Danny Abdia

• Washington Wizards