Wizards rookie Deni Avdija reportedly suffers broken ankle on gruesome fall

Washington Wizards rookie forward Deni Avdija suffered a gruesome ankle injury on Wednesday and required a wheelchair to leave the court.

The team diagnosed Avdija with an ankle injury before ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that he X-rays revealed a season-ending hairline fracture ankle fracture. He won't require surgery, according to the report.

How Avdija got injured

The injury occurred late in the second quarter during Washington's game against the Golden State Warriors. Avdija cut to the basket for a layup attempt before falling to the ground and clutching his right leg after he landed.

Deni Avdija injury, oh no ? pic.twitter.com/oIIJPCRZX8

— THE NBA Hustle ? (@TheNBAHustle) April 22, 2021

Replay from the baseline shows Avdija's right leg bend to the outside while his right foot is pinned below his body. He immediately reached for his leg following the unnatural contortion. 

Be warned, the video below is graphic. 

Deni Avdija has been taken out of the game after injuring his right leg pic.twitter.com/dhWTIBjql7

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 22, 2021

Jordan Bell covered Avdija's injured leg with a warmup jersey as trainers tended to the Wizards rookie.

Wizards rookie Deni Avdija suffers a lower leg injury coming down from a rebound

Prayers up ? pic.twitter.com/Vwo82znEuM

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 22, 2021

He eventually left the floor on a wheelchair. 

Who is Deni Avdija?

Washington selected Avdija out of Israel with the No. 9 pick in last year's NBA draft. Then 6-9 forward projects as a high-upside playmaker, defender and scorer if he can develop a reliable jumpshot. He's considered a work in progress at this stage of his NBA career, but many analysts considered his selection with the No. 9 pick a steal for the Wizards.

In 53 games including 31 starts, Avdija is averaging 6.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 23.5 minutes per game while shooting 41.7% from the floor and 31.5% from 3-point distance. The extended absence will obviously be a setback for his development. 

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