By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
A portion of the Capital One Arena rooting for the visitors annoys Deni Avdija. The Israeli small forward discussed the unusual situation after the Washington Wizards lost a home game to the New York Knicks with fans in attendance supporting the Knicks on Friday.
“Gets me angry sometimes, honestly,” he confessed, “Like playing in your city and having the whole stadium cheering ‘Let’s Go Knicks’. Those people buying tickets, just one ticket to cheer the Knicks.”
“It is not something that you’ll see in Europe, especially where I played,” he added referring to his spell with Israeli giant Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv.
Avdija, 22, was named season MVP in the 2019-20 edition of the Winner League with the Yellows. He went on to be selected with the ninth overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft by the Wizards. Collecting three domestic league championships and recording 34 appearances in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague shaped additional achievements en route to the capital of the United States.
“A lot of those fans are cheering, ‘Let’s Go Knicks’. Sometimes, I stare them down. I will be angry. But I will keep it inside. It is just like something cultural that gets me a little…,” he further commented on Wizards lacking support at home, “This stadium needs to chant ‘Let’s Go DC’, that’s how it needs to be. I wish that. I think everybody wishes that. And I think one day it will be.”
Starting his fourth NBA campaign with 12 starting appearances, he is averaging projected career-highs of 13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per contest. However, his side is limited to a 2-10 record, ranking near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
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