Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija is averaging 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists per game this season. He’s also exactly 25 years old. The latter stat qualifies him for ESPN’s annual [25 Best NBA Players Under 25](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47181302/nba-25-25-rankings-wemby-ant-flagg-cade-chet-young-stars) list. Avdija made the grade this year, coming in at #15.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps writes of Avdija:
_Avdija has rewarded \[Portland’s\] faith with a strong case to make his first All-Star team this season. He’s also arguably the leading candidate for Most Improved Player behind a leap in points per game (25.8, up from 16.9) while maintaining his efficiency._
On next steps, Bontemps writes:
_He just has to do this again next season. Avdija already looks like a foundational performer for the Blazers. If he can continue this production and carry it over to next season, he’ll have fully ascended to a star-level wing._
San Antonio center Victor Wembanyama leads the 25 Under 25 list, followed by Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham.