This is not how Danny Abdia wanted to celebrate his 20th birthday. Although his team, the Washington Wizards, recorded a second consecutive victory, an impressive 122: 123 away win over the Brooklyn Nets, his personal ability was far from normal.
The stat line says it all: three points, a single rebound, a single assist, one steal and one block, in a fairly anemic 16 minutes on the court. Although he started in the top five and showed good ability on defense, in a league where offensive numbers are most important, Abdia knows that this is a personally disappointing game.
The relatively high score taught that it was an evening of sniper battle, and Abdia did not take on too many (only four shots), until he went down to the bench during the third quarter and did not return to play until the end.
However, coach Scott Brooks certainly did not lose faith in the talented Israeli rookie he said: “He needs to play strong. He has proven himself, but needs to be patient.”
Abdia already knew how to draw conclusions from the unsuccessful evening, and he is expected to get another chance to prove himself, when the Wizards line up for their eighth game this season against Philadelphia on Wednesday night.