Johnny Davis: 6'5.75" 196 lbs Johnny Davis took an astounding Sophomore leap at Wisconsin, leading a teeth-less Badgers team to a 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Davis averaged 19.7 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.2 SPG. Davis primarily scored as a mid-range isolation operator who used his size and strength to overwhelm opponents to score over the top of guards and get by bigger opponents to draw fouls (shooting 6.32 FTA's per game). Thats great right? Yes and no. Davis' game will need adjustment to fit the modern NBA which features 3 point shooting and attacking closeouts for off ball players and pick and roll for on ball stars. Davis can shoot, shooting 39 percent from 3 as a freshman in a limited role, but Davis doesn't strike fear as a catch and shoot threat from what I saw in college. That said, Davis can be a very effective an NBA player if he embraces a different role than lead scorer by using his innate strengths as an athlete such as rebounding and defensive flexibility.

Strengths:

• Isolation scoring. Can score the ball in multiple ways.

• Twitchy and strong athlete.

• Fiery competitor. He competes every play.

• Very good intermediate game especially when his feet are set.

• Very good at scoring out of the post.

• Can guard 2's and 3's and perhaps 1's.

• Creates space well and draws fouls impressively well using force and guile equally adeptly.

Concerns:

• Davis stopped the ball but he was the only scorer on his team.

• Reliant on taking and making tough shots such as floaters and contested jumpers.

• Creates space using force more so than shif or tight handles.

• Can he be a spot up shooter and succeed as an off ball player in the NBA or does he have to have the ball in his hands?

Most of my concerns around Davis are based upon the question of what are you drafting Davis to be? Are you drafting him to be your franchise or a co-star or are you drafting him to be a key supplementary contributor? I see Davis as a Josh Hart type. I loved and still love Josh Hart but I, who had Hart well above where he was taken, would not have taken Hart in the top 10 and not quite in the lottery. Davis, if he can tap into his positive traits athletically that enable him to be a good rebounder (8.23 RPG) and active defender that Davis can become a large contributor to a winning team whether as a 3 and D starter or a role where he is a reserve tasked with more of a scoring role in a bench unit. I believe Davis will have a successful career due to his competitiveness and ability to rise to the occasion but I do not buy Davis' star upside and that is why I have him ranked lower than some of my peers and many reading this.

The Rundown:

One of the fastest raising prospects I have ever seen, and for very good reason. I was actually very impressed with his performance in the FIBA U-19 games, even if his production wasn’t great, but WOW I can never lie and say I predicted this insane uptick in scoring production. Let’s start with non basketball skills, particularly his mindset. He is probably the best leader in college basketball right now, consistently uplifting his teammates on both ends of the floor. He finds the perfect ratio of leading by example and scoring the rock, mixed with the time where his teammates need the ball. He has dogged determination, he will not let his team lose by any means necessary. Athletically he isn’t dominant, but he isn’t a negative by any means. He has a very strong frame with a great plus wingspan, combined with adequate burst on the perimeter. His verticality isn’t great which hinders his finishing (we’ll get to that later), but he isn’t ground bound by any means.

His primary creator potential is obviously where the bulk of his intrigue lies. He uses his handle and strength to bully AND finesse his way to his spots in the midrange, where his difficult shot making shines through. He has great touch and great creativity to get open against great perimeter defenders. From three point range the picture is less pretty, but at this point I fully expect an adequate three point shooter. He hits it at a solid clip on a catch and shoot, and while I never expect his perimeter shot making to shine through the same way at the three point level, I think his touch and hard work will show up in the end. His passing is solid, nothing special, but he is in a bit of a Cade Cunningham situation at Wisconsin. His teammates are decidedly NOT shooters, and in an NBA context it's a good bet to assume that he would be getting more assists than he is right now. He doesn’t pass his teammates open or anything but he has solid vision and can hit the open man, his playmaking won’t be a problem at the next level. His finishing is more problematic to me. Oftentimes it feels he takes mid range shots because he can’t make get all the way to the hoop, and when he does get to the hoop it often appears very difficult for him to finish, constantly having to resort to crafty and crazy finishing packages which doesn’t translate super well. I don’t know if this makes sense, but he has a solid first step, but a pretty poor 2nd, 3rd, and 4th steps.

Defensively he is solid as well, takes great gambles and can solidly guard 1-2.5. A good team defender who really defends with intensity, sometimes a bit too much intensity. At the end of the day, the non elite athleticism I think caps the potential on both ends. All the guys above him have those physical features that are great propellors, be it height, strength, or speed. Davis isn’t short, weak or slow, but the threshold that needs to be passed to be a guy a NBA team will turn to to be a #1 option who functions primarily from the midrange is high, and his lack of great athleticism only feeds into those concerns.

Synopsis: 

A great mid range playmaker who can get to his mid range spots, he will need to develop the other 2 levels of 3 level scoring, may be tricky with only meh athleticism. A solid passer and rebounder as well. Good at defense but not sure how much guard defense matters

Shades of:

Brandon Roy, Derrick White, a pinch of Malcolm Brogdon

Davis has an effortless release, and can finish on either side of the basket. He has great shooting form and is equipped with a dangerous jumper. The shooting guard has seen immense improvement across the past year. His confidence and ability to find his shot grew like a cornstalk over the last year. He is a great rebounder for his size. He isn’t an amazing 3 point shooter, but he has great form and he didn't take as many threes per game as many of his other peers. Over time, he should for sure see his efficiency numbers climb. He doesn’t show a ton of self creation, but he uses his craftiness to get open shots. As well as this, he draws a healthy amount of fouls. When at the charity stripe, he made around 80% of his shots. At just 20 years old, he has plenty of time to get even better.

Comparison: Eric Bledsoe +

Projected Draft Range: 6-14

Best Team Fits: New Orleans, New York, Washington

Height 6'5

Weight 195 lbs

Wingspan Estimated 6'9

DOB 2/27/02 (Draft Age: 20)

Pre-Draft Team Wisconsin Badgers

Offense

• Hugh volume free throw shooter.

• Above average athlete.

• Improving passer.

Defense

Swing Factors

Role

• LOW:

• HIGH:

Johnny Davis is a fast rising offensive wing who can score from all 3 levels. With an elite handle and great shot making, I see him as instant offense at the next level, kind of like CJ McCollum or Zach LaVine.

Ranking Scale:

Athleticism: 6/8

3pt shot: 6/10

Finishing: 6/10

Handle: 8/10

Playmaking: 4/8

Defensive Versatility: 5/10

Defensive Positioning: 4/8

Rebounding: 5/6

NBA Fit: 7/10

Total Score: 51/80

I had Johnny Davis far lower than this but he measured at almost 6'6 in shoes at the combine which is really good. Not a big fan of his offensive skillset, tough contested shot makers at college don't usually work well in the NBA level. His spot up shooting should be good tho. If he can't get to the rim you should just use him as a spot up shooter exclusively because he's also a pretty poor playmaker. Likely an average defender, not bad but not good either. Very average NBA athleticism I think. Plays with a lot of energy so should be a good primary guard off the bench I think.

Best fits: idk honestly. He should be ok in most teams, he's not a player that really needs a specific environment to do well I think.

I doubt many basketball fans had heard the name Johnny Davis before the start of this season. The 6’5 guard took a massive leap from his Freshman year and led his Wisconsin team to a 25-8 record and a (somewhat disappointing) second round exit on the NCAA tournament. Davis also (fun fact) was a great quarterback in high school earning first team all-state honours.

Davis isn’t the most athletic guard out there but he more than makes up for that with his polished all-round offensive game. He has a nice handle and is elite at the pull up mid-range shot. He can finish at the rim well and plays with tenacity. Though his 3P% has dropped from last year this is because he’s been taking shots with a higher degree of difficulty. His free throw percentage has gone up from last year aswell which leads me to believe that he is still improving his shot.

Davis’ assist numbers (2.1) won’t blow anyone away and when you factor in his 2.3 turnovers it doesn’t look all too good. But, like with Johnny’s drop in 3P% some of this is due to his enhanced role this year. Davis has showed solid passing instincts and I believe that after a couple years in the NBA he can be a legitimate option at PG.

Arguably Davis’ best skill is his rebounding. For anyone to average 8+ rebounds in college is very good, but from a 6’5, 88kg not uber-athletic guard? That’s unheard of in the modern era of basketball. And it’s not like he’s just on a small-ball team either, he has to complete with Tyler Wahl (6’9), Chis Vogt (7’1) and Steven Crowl (7’0) on the glass.

Defensively Davis also makes a big impact. He is an in your face defender who plays high IQ defense. He is always looking for steals in the passing lanes and is an above average rim-protector for a guard. He definitely won’t be a liability on defense in the NBA and is one of the better defensive guards in this class. There isn’t much room to improve for him here though as his defensive game is mainly based on making the right reads and being smart on that end of the floor.

OVERVIEW: Davis projects to be a solid 2-Way guard in the NBA. His ceiling isn’t that high due to his lack of elite level size and athleticism but I would predict him to be an above average starter in the league and he could be even better if he develops enough to be the lead playmaker on a team.

COMPARISON: Derrick White, Dillon Brooks; best-case scenario - Brandon Roy

Age: 19

Johnny Davis has been a huge riser this college basketball season, and it’s easy to see why. He is good on both ends. Despite being just 6’5, Davis is a great rebounder. He’s very versatile defensively, but is a streaky shooter. He’s good at creating his own shot but not great at consistently hitting it. However, he is 19 and this could come.

In conclusion, Davis is a great defender and rebounder for his size and is also a good shot creator, however struggles shooting efficiently at times.

Player analysis

Davis was a productive two way wing who came out strong last season in a way that nobody saw coming, he led the Wisconsin Badgers to a great record and a high seed in the NCAA tournament. Johnny was productive on both ends of the court and boosted himself into lottery talks around NBA scouts, his ability to score the ball in many ways and the perimeter defense he brings on the other end are what defines him as a player. Johnny is a bit of a three level scorer but mainly prefers to get his buckets on the inside, he uses his bulk for a wing player to his advantage when getting to the rack. Davis has creation in the mid range but that often proves to not translate well to the NBA. When it comes to three point shooting he was better earlier in the last season but as his percentages trailed off he lost confidence and continued to pass up shots, hopefully this phenomenon isn’t that big of a deal and he can get back to consistent shooting. The reason why I have him below other wings like Bennedict Mathurin or Aj Griffin is because Johnny needs the ball in his hands far more than the other major wings in the draft, in the league it’s very unlikely he will be the primary ball handler and without a consistent three point shot and room for scalability it’s hard to see him as much other then a nice sixth man. Davis was unable to reach a level past his average play when needed in college and this leaves doubts to how he can step up on an NBA roster which could be crucial to teams in the playoffs. Despite my problems with him I do like him as a player but I don’t see him making a huge impact in the league, he reminds me more of a role player rather than a star.

Projection

Draft range: [ 8 - 14 ]

Comp: [ CJ McCollum lite ]