Deni Avdija's Draft Scouting Report: Pro Comparison, Updated Wizards Roster

One of the top international prospects in the 2020 NBA draft is off the board after the Washington Wizards selected Deni Avdija with the No. 9 overall pick on Wednesday night.

Bleacher Report Draft Expert Jonathan Wasserman's Scouting Report

Player: Deni Avdija

Position: SF/PF

Height: 6'9"

Weight: 220 lbs

Pro Comparison: Gordon Hayward

Scouting Report: No prospect played more games this past year than Deni Avdija, who earned a full-time role in the competitive EuroLeague and won MVP of Israel's Winner's League. Scouts see him as one of the draft's safest picks based on his mature body, well-rounded skill set, pro's mentality and track record of success in every setting. While he needs to improve his shooting consistency, he's still a shot-maker who'll fit in anywhere thanks to his on- and off-ball versatility and defensive competitiveness.

Wizards Active Roster and Average Salary (Expiration Year)

John Wall, PG: $42.8M (2023)

Bradley Beal, SG: $35.9M (2023)

Thomas Bryant, C: $8.3M (2022)

Ish Smith, PG: $6M (2021)

Rui Hachimura, PF: $4.6M (2023)

Jerome Robinson, SG: $3.5M (2022)

Troy Brown Jr., SF: $3.1M (2022)

Moritz Wagner, PF: $2M (2022)

Admiral Schofield, SF: $1.4M (2022)

Isaac Bonga, PG: $1.4M (2021)

Anzejs Pasecniks, C: $1.3M (2022)

Deni Avdija, SF/PF: Rookie scale contract (2024)

Free Agents

Davis Bertans, SF: UFA

Garrison Mathews, SG: RFA

Gary Payton II, PG: UFA

Ian Mahinmi, C: UFA

Shabazz Napier, PG: UFA

Jarrod Uthoff, PF: UFA

Jerian Grant, PG: UFA

Avdija, 19, has played professional basketball for the past two seasons in the EuroLeague. He played in 34 games during that time with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Despite that professional experience, Avdija's stats don't immediately stand out as those of a lottery pick. The Israeli star averaged 4.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. He shot 43.8 percent overall and 31.6 percent from three in EuroLeague play.

Wasserman has Avdija ranked as the sixth-best prospect in this year's draft class.

Avdija has excellent size and the offensive upside makes him a player worth betting on for the Wizards. If he continues to develop as a shooter, the forward has the ceiling to become a key contributor for a high-end playoff team.

Given where Avdija's game is currently at, his development will take a couple of years to start showing significant results. The Wizards will have to be patient in order to make this pick turn out as well as they hope it can be.

However, the Wizards are ultimately getting a steal in Avdija, whom Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer and Jonathan Givony of ESPN ranked fourth on their big boards.

A potential top-five NBA draft pick somehow nearly fell out of the top 10, but the Wizards benefit as they land one of the draft's top prospects.