Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija is coming off a breakout season during his first campaign in Rip City, and that uptick in quality was noticed by the folks at HoopsHype.

In the site’s rankings of the top 26 small forwards for the 2025-26 season, the HoopsHype staff gave Avdija high marks by placing him at No. 1o. The ranking was a 14-spot jump compared to Avdija’s placement at No. 24 in last summer’s list. It also put the 6-foot-9 forward ahead of players like Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, Miami Heat wing Norman Powell, Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr., Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram and New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy.

Handling the write-up duty for the staff rankings, HoopsHype’s Frank Urbina praised Avdija’s versatility and improved shooting.

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