Wizards Rookie Deni Avdija’s Path To NBA Paved With Israeli Technology

When Deni Avdija, the 6-7 Israeli swingman who had starred for Maccabi Tel Aviv and was projected to go as high as No. 2 in this year’s NBA draft, slipped to No. 9, there was celebration in the Wizards’ draft room. The team knew there was a chance that Avdija would be available, but just about every team ahead of them on the board had an interest in Avdija, too.

When general manager Tommy Sheppard got off the phone with the league office to register the Avdija pick, he lifted is head and shouted, “Hell yeah!” as the room applauded.

In Israel, there was celebration, too. “It was all over the news everywhere,” said Ofir Frank, the Chief Technology Officer for Maccabi Tel Aviv. “People are proud. It is not a sports story here, it is an international story. It is the kind of thing that, in the future, you will see more kids getting involved in it because of him. It is creating a change in the culture.”

But there was also some satisfaction for Frank, who had watched Avdija blossom from a thin 15-year-old prone to mistakes to a polished, heady prospect, arguably more NBA-ready than any other first-round pick in the 2020 draft. While Avdija’s talent—his smooth ballhandling, his reliable jumper, his knack for passing—carried him to basketball prominence, it was the hard work he put in that drove him to the Top 10 in this draft.

And behind that hard work was technology, which is Frank’s domain.

Maccabi has been the prime testing grounds for Pixellot, a company that has been using artificial intelligence to quietly upend the way players and coaches watch games—and even practices. Maccabi has used Pixellot technology at both games and in its practice facilities, which means coaches and players can not only monitor what is happening during games, but also in practice sessions.

That is where Avdija most significantly changed his game in recent years. He would frequently feel the need to practice at odd hours, and his personal coach and trainer—Veljko Perovic, who was also on the Maccabi Tel Aviv coaching staff—was always on call.

As they worked, cameras (working together within one unit) from Pixellot’s simple midcourt installation were always watching, monitoring both Avdija’s movements in a tight shot as well as recording a panoramic view. After the workouts, Veljko would approach Frank for the practice film to analyze small changes that Avdija could make.

“He would come at crazy hours,” Frank said. “For him, the videos and the opportunities he had from studying his own performance, he went right to it—small adjustments, a better movement, a better stroke, a sharper angle into his jump. All these small things make you a better player. Not many players in this age are having the passion and patience to do that. But Deni was always targeting high. He worked and worked.”

The payoff came on draft night. But Avdija knew there was more to his success than his own talent. He had a willingness to learn from coaches like Veljko and to use technology like that provided by Frank to gain an edge. “I always hear what people say to me, always take advice,” Avdija said. “I always ask questions to know better and to get better every day.”

From Israel To U.S., Tech Company Making A Splash

In a way, Israel’s commitment to a technology-driven economy—it is renowned as an incubator of start-ups—can be given a measure of credit for Avdija’s arrival in the NBA. Pixellot was just such a start-up six year ago, originally founded with a vision of providing high-end production value to major sports broadcasters. The first system included 16 cameras.

But after the company’s first two years, it became clear that there was little opportunity in a strict focus on high-dollar events.

“That part of the market is very high-level in terms of what their needs are, and it is only the top 1% of sports,” said David Shapiro, the president of Pixellot North America. “The bigger opportunity was moving downstream and really democratizing sports production. After two-and-a-half years, we pivoted and started to focus on this wider part of the market.”

Pixellot began to grow significantly once that market was recognized, offering units with two or four cameras, able to provide action views as well as a high-resolution panoramic view. The company serves big international clubs like Maccabi, Bayern Munich and F.C. Barcelona, as well as college programs in the U.S. like Penn State, Indiana soccer and Virginia’s basketball program. But it has exploded as a provider of streaming broadcasts for high school and even youth sports teams.

The numbers are impressive: Pixellot has cameras on nearly 9,000 playing fields in the high school market in this country and produced streams for 145,000 high school games. They are adding about 250 new systems per week. A new mobile system is being released, too.

That means that any kid whose school or team is using Pixellot can access game films at any time on an app, and can create his or her own package of highlights to show off to friends and family. It means, too, that kids can create videos to show to college recruiters—something that has become especially relevant recently, as rules around COVID-19 make in-person viewing difficult.

With states around the country limiting crowd sizes for youth sports, Pixellot streams are being used, more and more, not only to allow moms and dads to watch their kids play, but as a tool for college coaches, who are also limited in their travel, to monitor potential recruits.

“In the middle of the pandemic, I think technology like ours became more and more important,” Shapiro said. “Pre-pandemic, streaming was nice to have for schools, something good to capture the content and give people a chance to see it. The last four months, we’ve seen incredible adoption of the technology. Streaming has gone from a nice-to-have to a must-have.”

And beyond highlights and family streaming, Pixellot is a tool for player-improvement and coaching, a way to break down weaknesses and find ways to get better, no matter the player’s level or the sport. For kids in Israel, and here in the U.S., the chance is there to do what Avdija did—use technology to maximize his talent.

Even when he was off the court, after all, Avdija was watching film.

“Deni said, when he was drafted, it was worthwhile to waste his childhood to achieve that moment,” Frank said. “That is him. He does not stop working. Even when he is not working he is working, thinking about ways to get better, looking at his videos.”

Fortunately for Avdija, Maccabi was on the technological forefront, giving him plenty of video to study.