As the crew analyzed the Blazers’ best-of-seven series against the San Antonio Spurs in the opening round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, presented by Google, Barkley drew a striking parallel between the Israeli star Deni Avdija and the late Hall of Famer Drazen Petrovic. “Drazen Petrovic is one of the best players I’ve ever seen from an offensive, aggressive standpoint,” he noted, emphasizing the specific mental shift he sees in Avdija’s game. “Let me tell you something, he wants to score every single time. He’s going straight, he ain’t deviating off that line, and he ain’t going around you, he ain’t going left. He’s like, ‘Hey, I’m going right to the basket.’”

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: “Drazen Petrovic is one of the best players I’ve ever …