Abdia’s first half season summary in the NBA

The children return to school, between isolations and the holidays. They are starting to see on the school bench human beings their age who are not fenced off in screens on screens.

“Study Bench.” What an archaic expression. Soon they will already be getting computer chairs with headphones in classrooms. This phrase is much more appropriate for Danny Abdia. His first half of the season in the NBA involved quite a bit of sitting on the bench and one long lesson – in professionalism, in mental coping, in knowing the industry in its most formidable version. The grade for the semester? It is impossible to determine whether it is a success or a disappointment. It should be remembered that he is only 20 years old and until recently was a high school student himself. Although he earns millions, this is a kid who has only played 30 times in the best league in the world.

The end of last season, the finish in Israel, the selection of the draft, the new beginning in Washington – all of these happened in close proximity. Abdia went through unusual things for Rocky, like appearing in just three preseason games with the Wizards and a shorter-than-usual training period. In short, like at Cursed Zero, he had to start everything earlier than the Rockies in previous years.

But it was a positive matter, as stated. Because coach Scott Brooks has no other classic player options in position 3, and thanks to his good ability in training games, Danny was immediately given a place in the top five. It was supposed to give him confidence, but then some bad things happened that disrupted the whole syllabus.

There is great importance in sports to things that are not seen in statistics, the added value, but these aspects must be performed at peak efficiency in order to eliminate a relatively weak data line. That is, if Abdia fails to contribute a double-digit number of points each night, or drop a significant amount of rebounds, then the only way it will remain relevant is to do everything around for the best.

And that’s the root (do you understand? Root, math?) Of all the discussions around him: Is Abdia’s defense good enough to determine that he fitted in well, or that the low numbers are all you see.

It is important to note that there is no exaggeration here: he is truly considered a caliber defensive player, perhaps even the best on his team. On the other hand, he recently went through a full month, 14 games, in which he did not reach a double-digit number of points. In two of them stuck at zero.

Abdia is still not a stable scorer. He is not involved in the attack, does not get many balls (also through his own fault, because he is not dynamic), and prefers the extra delivery instead of a free throw. While other players in rotation force themselves on the game, he sacrifices himself for the team.

A player selected ninth in the draft is viewed through a magnifying glass, and in this focus only data is seen. Right now the overall summary is more prone to not meeting expectations, because the difficulty of contributing on offense over time outweighs Avdia’s defense. But it’s tight.

The Corona plague in Washington led to losses, and to the fact that its isolated loser played no more than two weeks. There was a sense of crisis and Brooks began to change fives. The one who develops a stronger game and runs well together (eight wins in 11 games) – does not include her losses.

This is where the mental resilience of a 20-year-old player comes in. It is not easy for a rookie who was selected high and started the season in the top five to rise as a ninth player, and he does not always manage to get into the game well. The lesson will accompany him throughout his career because he is likely to face worse situations. Right now he at least plays regularly, even getting more than 20 minutes a night.

But there is another layer to the psychological matter. The reason that Abdia’s defense ability is still a procedure at work is related to his offense problem. In the loss in Boston he accumulated three of those in seven minutes and did not return to the field, and Brooks declared: “We need a strong defense without fouls.” Abdia often expresses frustration and argues with the judges, he just has not yet learned what the whistleblowers are looking for and what traps to watch out for.

But all of this past month, which was his weakest in the NBA, has been buzzing with good feeling thanks to the last two games where the lessons learned have been applied. This proves that Abdia is not easily broken. Against Memphis (10 points and 7 rebounds) he upgraded his regular amount of minutes to 26 from the bench – without a single foul. He was accurate with the right shots and played strong on defense. In the final game before the All-Star break, a huge 117: 119 home win against the Clippers, he fought Kwai Leonard even though he did not win any duels against the superstar. One move stood out in particular, when he snatched a ball and ran all over the field to finish with a basket on his keeper (finished with 4 points and 7 rebounds, plus a block and a loss without a loss).

Players and coaches are constantly talking about the physical difference a basketball player goes through between his first and second seasons in the NBA, after a summer where he understands how and where to get stronger. Abdia is very athletic and able to maintain aggressively, but the physical inferiority is noticeable on both sides of the court.

It will be interesting to see later this year if he goes through this process. Abdia will be a more physical player who will go strong for the basket and will not settle for play-ups from a reasonable distance (which will lead to more free throws – he has not visited the line for nine games in a row). He will be able to retain many more types of players.

The comparison to Omri Caspi’s rookie season is intriguing. Caspi was not much older when he was selected, 21 years old, and he is considered to have slightly better numbers (although Abdia is on the rise in the rebounds). The shooting of both of them was in question, but Caspi then radiated much more confidence and played Sacramento without the ambitions that gave the stage to the youngsters. Abdia’s promotion is ranked very low in the Wizards’ priority list compared to the playoffs (chances have greatly improved after the bad start).

A lesson that Abdia can learn from Caspi’s career concerns continuity. That good Omri debut season was mostly due to the first half which was wonderful. Then came deterioration and difficulties, except for the second term in Sacramento. Abdia is now learning how to compete in a marathon of sprints, where the short sections can sometimes ruin a particular player in the long run. He must not lose concentration for a moment.

So what can Brooks say to Mrs. and Mr. Abdia? That the child has potential. Remember that first dunk, the game in which he kept LeBron, the threesome show against Miami. But Abdia does not yet connect everything to prolonged periods of success.

Washington probably wanted to see him fit in better. The numbers, even in relation to the Rockies cycle are not particularly impressive, not strong. This cannot be avoided. And yet, in recent games he has been earning back minutes thanks to the defense. In front of the big ones he keeps the stars of the rivalry. One could even talk about a change in offensive thinking, with more movement for getting balls closer to the basket. And usually, when it is on the floor the group flows better.

The kid is just fine, looking up all the time, but this is a cruel league and there is no room for too many mistakes. One stumble can take an actor out of the plans.