Israel’s Deni Avdija ranks among top 30 NBA players on ESPN list

According to GeniusIQ, the athlete drew 267 fouls in the paint, coming in second in the NBA behind Paolo Banchero, who drew 275.

By Shiryn Ghermezian, The Algemeiner

ESPN released its latest NBA player rankings this week, less than a month before the start of the 2026-27 season, and Israeli player Deni Avdija ranked among the top 30.

The Portland Trail Blazers forward came in at number 27 this year on the list of 100 players, the highest of his career so far and a significant jump from last year, when he was ranked 66th.

ESPN’s ranking of players in past seasons was created following a vote by more than 100 of the network’s NBA insiders, reporters, editors, and producers.

However, this most recent list was determined by a panel of seven NBA experts: Ben Golliver, Vincent Goodwill, Zach Kram, Bobby Marks, Dave McMenamin, André Snellings, and Matt “Stats” Williams.

The panel ranked players based on predicted contributions, “quality, and quantity,” solely in regard to the 26-27 regular season, according to ESPN.

Each panelist made their own top 100 list, which were then combined to create the final ranking.

Avdija was traded from the Washington Wizards to the Trail Blazers in 2024.

During the 25-26 season, the 25-year-old achieved career highs in scoring, player efficiency rating, and win shares.

He also earned his first All-Star selection and helped Portland reach the Western Conference Playoffs for the first time in five years.

Avdija became the first Israeli to win an NBA playoff game when the Trail Blazers defeated the San Antonio Spurs in a game that took place on Israel’s Independence Day.

“Avdija projects as one of the NBA’s best values in 2026-27 given that his bargain $13.1 million salary is less than the midlevel exception,” Golliver said.

ESPN noted a notable statistic about Avdija: he finished fourth in the NBA in drawing fouls last season.

According to GeniusIQ, the athlete drew 267 fouls in the paint, coming in second in the NBA behind Paolo Banchero, who drew 275.

ESPN announced on Thursday its 10 top NBA players for the 2026-27 season and it included Donovan Mitchell in 10th place, Jayson Tatum, Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama in second place, and Nikola Jokic as number one.

LeBron James was left out of the top 10 for the first time since the 2011-12 season and came in at number 18, which is a 10-place drop from last year.

Deni AvdijaESPNIsraeli athleteNBA