Sam Vecenie of The Athletic wrote about Avdalas earlier today.
I've linked his full story below. Some valuable insight on a number of college guys. Under two players who have questions to answer, he put Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville) and Neoklis Avdalas (Virginia Tech).
What he said about Avdalas:
"Remember the over-the-moon excitement regarding Avdalas early in the season, when some projected him as a potential top-10 pick based on beating up a Providence defense currently ranked 202nd nationally and dead last in the Big East during conference play? Well, he has officially come back down to earth. In eight conference games for Virginia Tech, Avdalas is averaging 11 points, five assists and three turnovers while shooting 33 percent from the field and 18 percent from 3. Yikes.
"Against real athleticism and length, he’s struggling to get into advantageous spots. Avdalas is taking just 16.8 percent of his shots at the rim and 20.8 percent of his shots from the midrange outside of the paint. It’s never a good sign when the midrange attempt percentage is higher than the rim attempt percentage, especially when a player is averaging under four free-throw attempts per game. Avdalas has played six games against teams currently ranked outside of the top-200 in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency metric. If you remove those games, Avdalas is averaging just 10.4 points. Simply put, he can’t score effectively or efficiently against athletic defenses. He looks like a player who could use another year to keep ironing out his jumper.
"The Greek wing has time to turn his season around. Avdalas remains intriguing because of his passing ability at 6-foot-8. He’s a very gifted and skilled player. But until he can consistently knock down 3s, it’s just too difficult for him to bend defenses and take advantage of that skill set. I would bet that he’s an NBA-caliber offensive player if and when the jump shot comes around. Maybe he’ll showcase improvements in the pre-draft process like a player he’s often compared to: Brooklyn Nets rookie Egor Demin. Or maybe it’ll take a couple of years. There’s still plenty of time in this cycle. But for now, I’m not convinced Avdalas is a 2026 prospect."
My thoughts on that: Fair analysis, and I agree with just about all of it. Avdalas has nine ACC games still to find his shot and get back on track. Curious to see if he can snap out of the slump. Part of it is he's just missed open looks. Had some wide-open shots against Georgia Tech and just missed. If he can drill those and get some confidence back, he could be a different player. More than anything, though, the offense has been more stagnant with him on the floor. He and VT need to find a flow, and soon.
Link:
Story
Thread Replies (27)
Neo draft stock
-- MotorCityHokie80
Jan 29, 2026 at 11:28 AM ET
MotorCityHokie80
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01/29/26 11:28 AM ET
I think there is a quickness or ball handling issue
-- 2nchokies
Jan 29, 2026 at 09:29 PM ET
2nchokies
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01/29/26 09:29 PM ET
HOnestly with the talent available to the NBA this year I don't see any
-- UTPr0sim
Jan 29, 2026 at 07:36 PM ET
UTPr0sim
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01/29/26 07:36 PM ET
His draft stock is as high as the GM that falls in love with him**
-- 6thStreetHokie
Jan 29, 2026 at 03:50 PM ET
6thStreetHokie
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01/29/26 03:50 PM ET
Very true ...
-- MotorCityHokie80
Jan 29, 2026 at 04:00 PM ET
MotorCityHokie80
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01/29/26 04:00 PM ET
My all-time favorite in this department...
-- LonghornHokie
Jan 29, 2026 at 04:19 PM ET
LonghornHokie
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01/29/26 04:19 PM ET
Personally, I laud the Bears for that excellent decision.**
-- KCHokie2
Jan 29, 2026 at 05:11 PM ET
KCHokie2
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01/29/26 05:11 PM ET
Somehow Grayson Allen is still in the nba.
-- GreenvilleVT
Jan 29, 2026 at 02:29 PM ET
GreenvilleVT
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01/29/26 02:29 PM ET
Careful you will upset the draft experts on here. Although they are not as
-- uber hokie
Jan 29, 2026 at 01:36 PM ET
uber hokie
•
01/29/26 01:36 PM ET
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic wrote about Avdalas earlier today.
◄
-- David Cunningham
Jan 29, 2026 at 01:18 PM ET
David Cunningham
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01/29/26 01:18 PM ET
Excellent analysis. Tomorrow vs Duke would be a fantastic time for Neo
-- Zanderhokie
Jan 30, 2026 at 09:48 PM ET
Zanderhokie
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01/30/26 09:48 PM ET
Its not like he isn't making a ton of money at VT...**
-- UTPr0sim
Jan 29, 2026 at 07:40 PM ET
UTPr0sim
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01/29/26 07:40 PM ET
I could not agree more with that evaluation.**
-- TomA
Jan 29, 2026 at 06:28 PM ET
TomA
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01/29/26 06:28 PM ET
Well that sure goes against the narrative some have pushed down our throats
-- Stork
Jan 29, 2026 at 03:25 PM ET
Stork
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01/29/26 03:25 PM ET
you sound like a poster that is mad someone may have more knowledge than u**
-- HOKIE75-79
Jan 29, 2026 at 04:56 PM ET
HOKIE75-79
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01/29/26 04:56 PM ET
And exactly who are you to judge the taste of a beer?
-- Vippie1
Jan 29, 2026 at 04:07 PM ET
Vippie1
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01/29/26 04:07 PM ET
Challenging the rim more lately, but missing too many relatively easy shots**
-- marcbvtgm
Jan 29, 2026 at 01:47 PM ET
marcbvtgm
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01/29/26 01:47 PM ET
Agreed. And he's getting pressed more and more from opponents.
-- David Cunningham
Jan 29, 2026 at 01:35 PM ET
David Cunningham
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01/29/26 01:35 PM ET
He wants to play an NBA style 2 man game, but nobody lets him
-- soflahokie
Jan 30, 2026 at 12:08 PM ET
soflahokie
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01/30/26 12:08 PM ET
That's a good way to think about it.**
-- David Cunningham
Jan 30, 2026 at 02:47 PM ET
David Cunningham
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01/30/26 02:47 PM ET
yup all this second guys running out of him should lead to advantages
-- Vippie1
Jan 29, 2026 at 04:12 PM ET
Vippie1
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01/29/26 04:12 PM ET
An observation - which may not be correct . . .
-- huskerHokie
Jan 29, 2026 at 03:57 PM ET
huskerHokie
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01/29/26 03:57 PM ET
I believe that is called the bede**
-- VBpescador
Jan 29, 2026 at 04:50 PM ET
VBpescador
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01/29/26 04:50 PM ET
He is chum in the water until he changes that
-- Vippie1
Jan 29, 2026 at 04:16 PM ET
Vippie1
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01/29/26 04:16 PM ET
As of late January 2026, mocks have projected the Pistons selecting guard
-- Windows NT
Jan 29, 2026 at 01:18 PM ET
Windows NT
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01/29/26 01:18 PM ET
Motor City, agree w/your assessment. Neo is not ready YET for NBA.**
-- George Baylor
Jan 29, 2026 at 12:42 PM ET
George Baylor
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01/29/26 12:42 PM ET
Well, if SBNation said it...
-- GCHokie34
Jan 29, 2026 at 12:23 PM ET
GCHokie34
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01/29/26 12:23 PM ET