Israeli NBA Player Deni Avdija Receives Fewer Fouls When Knocked Down

During the NBA offseason, analysis of player statistics has revealed an unusual trend concerning fouls drawn by Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija. A popular podcast, "All-NBA," focused on the percentage of fouls drawn by players after they fall during a shot attempt. The data indicated that Avdija was the only player among those who fell most frequently during shots who drew fewer fouls when he was fouled, compared to when he was not fouled.

Avdija averaged drawing fouls on 6.37% of shots where he did not fall, versus 4.76% of shots where he did fall. This contrasts sharply with other players; for example, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drew fouls on 2.8% of non-fall shots and 33.3% of fall shots, a difference of 16 times. Karl-Anthony Towns showed a similar disparity, drawing fouls on 4.56% of non-fall shots and 20.34% of fall shots.

Interestingly, Avdija ranked fourth in the league in the percentage of shots where he fell and drew a foul, with 5.9%. This places him behind Saddiq Bey, Jalen Duren, and Pascal Siakam. In the 2026-27 season, Avdija was third in the league in free throw attempts per game, averaging 9.2.