Interview with Veljko Perovic, one of Deni’s personal coaches who’s been with him since he was 13, in Israeli media

https://www.sport5.co.il/articles.aspx?FolderID=8166&docID=525444

Some excerpts:

What did your work on with Deni at the beginning?
In the first few years with Deni, we got to explore his talent to the fullest. First of all, we created an atmosphere of hard work around him, with high level competition, and when you have such great talent – you have to first look to solve potential future issues, to turn him into an athlete. Today's basketball is about athleticism, he needed to be taught how to run back and forth, control his body, take care of it so he can play and maintain it even until the age of 40, 41 or 42. After that, we started arming him with weapons to make him successful, tools to read the game. From that moment on, we only worked on those tools, and he hasn't stopped working every day

Did you think Deni could be this good in the NBA?
I've always said in every interview I've done in Israel, while working with Deni I saw that he had no limits. I saw him improving every single day, he never stopped surprising me, he can compete at the highest level, at all levels

(After mentioning early hardships in Washington)
Tell me about these hardships
In his first year or two at Maccabi (I think he meant WAS), he couldn't score a basket. He had a very hard time at Washington, they didn't explore his talent and he was in a difficult situation. But my message (to him) was even when things don't go your way, it's not your fault. A lot of times you can be overly hard on yourself, but it's not your fault – you just weren't put in a position to succeed, so don't beat yourself up. And now Deni is the best version of himself and everyone can enjoy it

What were your thoughts on him being drafted by Washington?
Let's be honest, they drafted him for one reason – they wanted to win now and get to the playoffs right away. Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal and Tommy Shepard needed results and fast, and Deni was someone who promised them that quickly. Unfortunately, it probably wasn't a good situation for him, (even though) I prepared him to become a leader quickly

I don't know if you saw, but he said in an interview he did that in those moments he thought, 'I came here for this?'
Unfortunately, this is what you go through if you're in a place where the pressure and expectations are high, and you don't have the support you need. But in the end, in tough situations, winners win, and he showed he can handle it. He fought with those pressures, he faced them every day, he didn't lower his head, maybe a little but not much – and now he can lift his head and look everyone in the eye, continue to dominate the game like he does. I think it's not a bad thing to face hardships, he's ready for it and people notice it. I remember Mike Schmitz came to some Maccabi training sessions when he was at ESPN and we talked about how Deni should look in the future

What was his relationship with Russell Westbrook like in Washington?
Deni was the player who was in the training facility and the gym the most during those years, and the only player who was there every night besides Deni was Westbrook. He showed Deni what consistency is – bringing it every game, and he also contributed to the community. Deni learned a lot from him, Russell is a future Hall of Famer. Not everything was "rosy" between them, but that's life. Deni and I talked a lot about his mentality, how he approaches the game and what he brings every single day. Now he's there mentally, but he also has sensitivity to the needs of others – that's always been the best thing about Deni. He's a great emotional leader, he knows how and when to lift those around him more than others

You see what he's doing in Portland… how far can he go? In what terms should we be talking about Deni?
From here its all about consistency. If he is mentally prepared, takes care of his body and maintains stability to give his best every time. He knows what he needs to do, he needs to develop his physical potential, he needs to be what he is – one of the better defensive players, and from there he needs to control the game with his strength and speed, and have the ball reach him so he can lead the attack. If he can consistently control the game, read the rhythm of the game like Jokic and Doncic, he has no limits. He's doing that right now, he needs to maintain control of the game over time

What makes Avdija an extraordinary player?
Deni faced an insane amount of fears. He faced them every time with determination, he didn't let them get him down. He overcame himself 1,000 times to get on the court and perform, he had to overcome himself before he could overcome his opponents. I've worked with a few prospects, but none had the ability to go through daily hardships like Deni. I've never seen anything like it in my life