Report: Warriors ‘blown away' by Avdija after in-person meeting

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What did Steve Kerr and other members of the Warriors organization do Thursday morning?

They reportedly worked out NBA draft prospect Deni Avdija in Atlanta, sources told The Athletic's Ethan Strauss.

"By all accounts, it was a positive get together, one in which the 19-year-old Israeli impressed observers," Strauss wrote. "Not only did Avdija perform well in the workouts, but Warriors officials were blown away after meeting with him.

"The universal takeaway was that he’s a 'great kid' with an immense work ethic."

Avdija, a 6-foot-9 forward of Israeli-Serbian descent, has played professionally for Maccabi Tel Aviv since 2017.

He will turn 20 years old on Jan. 23.

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"I'll be definitely rooting for him to go to the Warriors," former Golden State forward Omri Casspi, who was teammates with Avdija, told NBC Sports Bay Area's Grant Liffmann on the "Runnin' Plays" podcast this week. "It would be amazing.

"He's a legit 6-foot-9. I think he feels himself as more of a wing. He wants to be a guy that makes plays. He can make plays from the four position, like a point-forward type game. I think he wants to be somewhere where he can be a little bit of a ballhandler, bring the ball up, running the offense.

"I don't know how that is going to fit with the Warriors, but you know, the way they play, anyone can rebound and bring the ball up, run into the offense and fits within the system. It would be a great place for him to learn."

Avdija averaged 12.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists over 33 games last season, while shooting 52.6 percent overall and 35.3 percent from 3-point range.

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In the process, he became the youngest MVP in Israeli Basketball League history.

Golden State holds the rights to the No. 2 overall pick in the draft (scheduled for Nov. 18), and could be targeting Avdija at that spot. Or perhaps the Warriors are hoping they can nab him later in the lottery should they trade down.

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