9 Deni Avdija SF

Avdija (COVID-19 protocols) will remain out Tuesday against the Rockets, Fred Katz of The Athletic reports.

Avdija hasn't played since Jan. 11, and he'll likely miss at least two more games as the Wizards head into a Tuesday/Wednesday back-to-back set.

Avdija (COVID-19 protocols) is out Sunday against the Spurs.

Avdija will continue to miss time in health and safety protocols. The Wizards may have somewhere between eight and 11 players available for Sunday's game.

Avdija is out for Friday's game against Milwaukee due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

The rookie will miss his first game of the season as a result of the pandemic. Jerome Robinson may ultimately get the starting nod with both Avdija and Rui Hachimura sidelined Friday. According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, coach Scott Brooks doesn't expect any of the players in the COVID-19 protocol to play on the upcoming four-game road trip, so Avdija may be unavailable until at least Jan. 29 against the Hawks. It's worth keeping a close eye on the Wizards' extensive injury report over the next week or so.

Avdija had 20 points (7-15 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 1-1 FT), five rebounds, five assists and two steals across 32 minutes in Saturday's 128-124 loss to the Heat.

Avdija scored more points Saturday than he had across his four previous games (15). The Wizards were without Bradley Beal (COVID-19 health and safety protocols) and Russell Westbrook (quadriceps) for the contest, while Thomas Bryant (knee) exited early in the first quarter due to injury, so Avdija probably can't be counted on to see this sort of volume on the offensive end in a consistent basis. At this time, only Westbrook can be considered a good bet to be available for the Wizards' next game Monday versus the Suns, so Avdija could at least be in store for a slightly more pronounced role in the short term than he's held for most of his rookie campaign.

Avdija scored 11 points (4-7 FG, 3-5 3Pt) while adding seven rebounds, three assists and three steals across 27 minutes in Friday's win over the Timberwolves.

Avdija posted his best scoring output of the season, as he had scored nine or fewer points in every one of his previous five appearances as a starter. The promising rookie finally showed glimpses of what he can do in the NBA, hitting three shots from behind the arc while also making an impact on the defensive side of the ball. He will try to build off this performance to repeat these numbers Sunday in a tough matchup against the Nets.

Avdija had seven points (2-2 FG, 2-2 3PT, 1-2 FT) and four rebounds in Wednesday's loss to the 76ers.

While Avdija mostly deferred to Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook, the bigger point is that he was in the starting lineup on opening night. Avdija played 28 minutes -- third-most on the team behind Beal and Westbrook -- and also chipped in an assist and a steal.

Avdija will start Wednesday's season opener against the 76ers, Ava Wallace of The Washington Post reports.

Surprisingly, Davis Bertans will come off the bench in the opener, with Avdija and Isaac Bonga starting at the forward spots. During the preseason, the rookie averaged 10.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals in 29.4 minutes.

Coach Scott Brooks said Wednesday that Avdija "has a good chance" to begin the season as the Wizards' starting small forward, Fred Katz of The Athletic reports.

Brooks did note that it's still an open competition, but he's apparently been impressed by the rookie, who was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field on his way to 15 points in Sunday's preseason opener. If Avdija is able to lock up a starting spot, -- beating out Troy Brown Jr. and Isaac Bonga -- Brooks would likely have to decide between Davis Bertans and Rui Hachimura at the other forward position, with Thomas Bryant expected to start at center.