How Kristaps Porzingis, Deni Avdija bonded
‘Turbo’ and ‘The Unicorn’ learn lessons on chessboard
WASHINGTON — Kristaps Porzingis picked up the hobby on a road trip this season, one night in his hotel room when he was looking to relax. Deni Avdija had been telling him about his favorite midflight pastime for months, so Porzingis promised himself he would watch one quick YouTube video on how to play online chess just to get the gist of things and then off to bed. The Wizards had a game the next day.
“That night I stayed up until 4 a.m.,” Porzingis said.
When Porzingis and Avdija play chess now, the usual roles they occupy in the locker room and on the basketball court are reversed. Avdija, 22, started playing chess this summer with the Israeli national team and therefore is the teacher — “Let’s say ‘initiator,’ ” Porzingis said with a wink. Porzingis, 27, is the student.
In life, things are quite the opposite. As Porzingis and Avdija issued standout performances in the past week — Porzingis, who entered Monday’s game against the Warriors as the team’s leading scorer with 22.6 points, had 36 against the Hornets on Wednesday while Avdija had a career-high 25 points on Jan. 30 amid a strong string of games — their friendship has been front and center.
It began as a connection between two non-Americans in the locker room and developed into a close friendship with a healthy dollop of mentorship. Porzingis took the young forward under his wing, prompting him to think through his personal finances, helping him handle the weight of representing an entire nation in the NBA and taking him out for espresso to philosophize about life.
“Everybody’s my friend here, but KP has a special place,” Avdija said. “We sit next to each other in the locker room always, and, you know, there is like an understanding of where I came from and what I’m being faced with because he came almost with the same path. He’s a really smart dude. He always knows what to do.”
And Avdija?
“He kind of brings that playful side of me out more,” Porzingis said. “Most of the time I’m pretty serious. With him, I like to just be young and dumb. That’s important in life.”
Avdija, to be fair, has that effect on almost everyone. He has been the de facto little brother on the Wizards’ roster since he joined the team as a 19-year-old, adding levity to the locker room with topics such as his newfound love of country music (which might be a bit). He got into a shouting match with Will Barton at decibels usually only heard on “The Real Housewives” about whether Lionel Messi or Michael Jordan is more famous globally.
Both Porzingis and Avdija have nicknames. Porzingis came by his when he first came into the NBA, reportedly when none other than Kevin Durant noted the Latvian’s rare blend of size (7 foot 3) and skill and dubbed him “The Unicorn.” Avdija, meanwhile, had been trying to come up with a new nickname for himself for weeks this season before the team landed on “Turbo.” Until then, Avdija did not see any issue with “The Pedestrian.”
“He makes everyone love him,” said Anthony Gill, a frequent dinner companion of Avdija on the road. “He sits in his hotel room and thinks of the silliest or most controversial thing he could possibly say, and then comes in the locker room and says it. And then KP’s sitting there giggling behind him like: ‘Yes, Deni. You’re onto something.’ ”
Aside from his jokes, Avdija has an endearing lack of self-consciousness. That, combined with how seriously he takes the game, has earned him respect in the Wizards’ locker room. Porzingis latched onto that side
of Avdija, too, trying to help him navigate the turbulence that can come in the first few years of an NBA career.
“It’s his third year. There’s some pressure on because the extension is coming up and things like that, and I told him most importantly — but I don’t even need to tell him because he is that way: He works hard. He wants to work too much,” Porzingis said. “The training staff has to tell him to get a day off, and that’s a good thing. I like that about him.”
The forward is on an upswing, averaging 15.3 points and 7.8 rebounds and shooting 50% from the field in his past nine games. Coach Wes Unseld Jr. noted that Avdija is playing more aggressively and his finishing around the rim has improved.
Porzingis said his young friend is playing with increased confidence but, even more importantly, more freedom. Avdija has seen a slight uptick in minutes since Rui Hachimura was traded to the Lakers.
“He has less pressure of, if he makes a mistake, he’s not coming out,” Porzingis said after Avdija’s career-high scoring night in San Antonio. “... It’s multiple things, not just because of the trade. He was heading toward this. Sooner or later he was going to get here. And things are working for him.”
Unseld has seen Porzingis’s leadership skills grow out of the relationship.
“That mentorship dynamic works both ways. I think you show growth in how you teach, how you lead, not only by example but with your voice,” Unseld said. “And I think when you have a guy who looks up to you, maybe it kind of forces you to continue to do the right things. It’s an interesting dynamic because a lot of time guys just gravitate to certain people. We’ve seen that relationship flourish.”
The pair also pals around with ex-Wizards big man Marcin Gortat, who has been around the team occasionally in an unofficial role with the coaching staff. Avdija likes that he has found two mature mentors who know how to crack jokes like kids.
Gortat, 38, also acts as the mediator sometimes when Porzingis and Avdija squabble.
“Deni’s already saying, ‘You don’t take me out for coffee anymore.’ He was complaining to Mr. Gortat and was like, really hurt. I could tell, like: ‘What’s up, man! We’re not hanging out anymore!’ ” Porzingis said, laughing. “I’m like, ‘Man, I’m always trying to talk to you!’ But when he’s happy, I’m happy. He’s doing really well ... I love to see it for him. His energy is contagious for him, and whenever he’s hooping, we’re a different team.”