Sports media company The Action Network on Wednesday released its “Elite 100” list, which ranks the 100 best players in the NBA, ahead of the 2024-25 season which will begin in two weeks.

Making the list at number 100 was Israeli basketball player Deni Avdija, who began his career with the Washington Wizards and was traded in the offseason to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Matt Moore, one of the authors of the Elite 100 list, noted that Avdija “was the only player with good impact stats for the Wizards”, who had a dismal season last year, finishing with a franchise worst 15–67 record.

“He shot 65% at the rim (68th percentile) and 38% from 3-point range (65%). At 23, he might be entering a breakout. If he played for a team trying to win, he’d be a certified MIP candidate coming into the year,” added Moore.

Avdija was selected ninth overall in the 2020 NBA draft by the Wizards and spent his first four NBA seasons in Washington.

He signed a four-year, $55 million rookie scale extension the previous offseason that went into effect in July and will run through the 2027/28 season.

In February, he recorded a new career high for an Israeli NBA player, scoring 43 points in a contest against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Israeli also matched a season high with 14 rebounds, and added three assists. The previous career high in a game for an Israeli player was 36 by Omri Casspi.

The Trail Blazers, who themselves had a bad season with a 21-61 record last year, are hoping that the trade for Avdija will help lead the team to a turnaround this season. They will kick off their season at home against the Golden State Warriors on October 23.

Topping the “Elite 100” list is three-time MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis, who is married to a Jewish woman and who was reportedly planning to convert to Judaism, made the list at number 27.