If you're in the mood for a hearty laugh while watching the NBA, come see the Washington Wizards play basketball. The Wizards aren't here this season to compete. They're just in it for the vibes. Open a Wizards game randomly on TV or on the NBA app this season and the first thing you'll likely see is either Jordan Poole or Kyle Kuzma chucking a shot as Deni Avdija looks in disbelief.

Washington only associates itself with the things that make basketball fun. They hoist up shots whenever they want to — 2nd in field goal attempts per game. They're putting up a ton of points on the board — 5th in the NBA at 119.3 per game. Washington also ranks first in pace and is, surprisingly, also fourth in assists.

On the flip side, the Wizards could care less about the mundane things about the sport. Defense? They're 28th in the league in defensive rating and give up the most points to their opponents. Rebounding? They're last in the NBA in that department as well.

Jokes aside, the Wizards do have some positives going their way. Washington has already won two games this season. Kyle Kuzma is averaging 25 points per game and is shooting over 50 percent from the field. But one player's emergence has also been quite the pleasant surprise for the Wizards this season and that is Deni Avdija.

Wizards most pleasant surprise this season: Deni Avdija

The Wizards couldn't have given Deni Avdija a contract extension at a better time. Washington inked the 22-year-old forward to a four-year $55 million deal prior to the start of the campaign. That deal is now looking like one of the best value contracts in the NBA.

After three seasons, Avdija is finally rounding into the player the Wizards envisioned him to be when they took him with the 9th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. At 6-foot-9, Avdija has all the tools to be a multi-faceted NBA wing.

In seven games so far this season, Avdija is averaging 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, and 1.0 steal per game while shooting career-best percentages of 52.9 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from beyond the arc.

What makes his statistical jump even more impressive is the fact that he is less playing time this season at 24.7 minutes per game, which is largely due to Washington sitting out its starters in blowout losses. As such, it's worth wondering just how much better his numbers would look if he is playing north of 30 minutes per game. On a per 36-minute basis, those numbers are up 18.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists.

Avdija's shooting percentages will likely regress back to the mean. But if he can maintain his shooting at 48 to 50 percent from the field and above 40 percent from three, he could finally establish a nice niche for himself in the NBA.

Offensive growth

For his first three seasons in the NBA, Deni Avdija has struggled to do just that. Avdija has always been a sound defender since arriving in the league. Despite being devoid of elite athletic gifts, his solid fundamentals on that end of the court has allowed him to keep in step with his man and be an effective on-ball defender.

Offensively, he entered the league as someone who could do multiple things on the floor. However, not one facet of his game has stood out so far. Moreover, his shooting hasn't translated to the NBA level. He had a true shooting percentage of just 53.1 percent through his first three seasons, which is well below league average.

Fast-forward to this season, Avdija's offensive game looks more polished. He is finally rounding into that all-around player the Wizards expected when they drafted him. As seen above, his shooting has starkly improved as well. His true shooting percentage is now up to 61.4 percent, which is now above the league average of around 57 to 58 percent.

Avdija is still by no means a sniper from beyond the arc. Though he is shooting at an extremely efficient clip, he is still just hoisting a little over two three-pointers per game. If he is able to increase his volume and keep his efficiency within the 40 percent ball park, his offensive game should open up even more.

He has also become more adept in scoring off the dribble. A good chunk of his field goal attempts this season have come within three-to-six dribbles (27.3 percent). Avdija is making them at an efficient 55.6 percent clip.

Advija probably won't be dubbed as an elite two-way player. But he is slowly rounding into form as a solid and versatile wing who can impact both sides of the ball.