Neoklis Avdalas Is Emerging as One of the Strongest Prospects in This Class

The Greek guard is taking on more responsibility with Peristeri in domestic and continental play, proving himself to be one of the most well-rounded and talented prospects in this class. How high can he move up draft boards between now and June?

Neoklis Avdalas / fiba.basketbal

Neoklis Avdalas was only on the fringes of NBA Draft discussions heading into this season. His ability to grab senior minutes with Karditsas as only a 17-year-old last season, followed by decent play with the Next Generation team in Belgrade, put him on radars, but optimism about his upside was still largely rooted in hypotheticals. A 6-foot-8 nearly 200-pound point guard looked great on paper, but Avdalas hadn’t brought the on-paper optimism to the court yet. 

This season, that has changed. Avdalas joined Peristeri in the summer and has emerged as a key player for the club in both domestic play and the FIBA Basketball Champions League. His guard skillset opens up the game for Peristeri. He starts as a wing and can play alongside more natural point guards, but also assumes ballhandling responsibilities in the halfcourt, especially in transition. 

Transition is an area where Avdalas is thriving. His 1.56 points per possession from transition opportunities put him in the 95th percentile per Synergy Sports. His combination of size and agility, as well as his tight handle plus explosive finishing, make him more than a handful for opposing defenses. Add in his ability to change speeds and accelerate at a blistering pace, and even the most experienced overseas veterans can’t handle him. 

Avdalas’ game has grown across the board throughout the season. He’s at his best in transition, but the growth of his three-point shot has made him a half-court weapon as well. Avdalas is at 52 percent on 25 attempts this season. That volume is low, and the sample size is so small that you can’t put a lot of stock in it, but his shooting from beyond the arc is versatile. He’s hitting off the dribble threes as walk-ins and stepbacks, he’s spotting up and capitalizing on catch-and-shoot opportunities as well. On the ball and off the ball, Avdalas’ three-point shooting is a weapon. 

While Avdalas has acclimated to a secondary ballhandler role, deferring to Peristeri’s more pure point guards, his court visions are still obvious. He reads the pick and roll well, is patient with his dribble and unafraid of keeping his dribble and staying patient in crowds, and has an innate understanding of where his open teammates and mismatches are. The basketball IQ is obvious when he’s creating, and also when he’s off the ball. 

With his secondary handle role, Avdalas has played more off-ball. He’s hitting spot-up threes, but also cutting and moving into open spaces in a way that shifts the defenses or creates opportunities for himself or others. This isn’t always getting spotted by his teammates, but the ability is obvious, and this is a skill that often becomes more valuable at the NBA level when youngsters leap to play with more intelligent passers. 

With Avdalas’ rise as an offensive weapon, he has picked up more responsibility for Peristeri, especially late in games. The conversion rate here hasn’t been where you want it to be, but that isn’t rattling Avdalas at all. He wants the ball, and he wants to take big shots. At only 18 years old, that’s encouraging. With an increased role and increased playing time, Avdalas usually played as a wing alongside one or two guards at a time, and his defense took a leap as well. He’s matching up with opposing forwards, and often taking fewer on-ball threats and more floor spacers who he can help off of. He’s nailing rotations, providing excellent help, and proving himself to be a brilliant team defender. 

On-ball, Avdalas is struggling with physicality and doesn’t seem to be using his size and length well enough. In a recent matchup with Olympiacos, Persiteri rolled the dice with him guarding former Sacramento King and EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov and quickly moved away from it after Vezenkov scored on consecutive possessions. Avdalas did his best, but Vezenkov was still too much for him. 

Avdalas has greatly improved on both sides of the ball, and his point-forward skill set alongside an elite outside shot could be enough to move him into the first round in the 2025 NBA Draft. Avdalas will need to keep this level of play up for the rest of the season for that conclusion, but if he does he’ll be a name a lot of teams are excited about in June.

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