Johnny Davis - 2022 NBA Draft Prospect

[Mr. Body]

My issues with Davis... The ball stuck a lot in his hands, he was a ballstopper. When the ball moved to him, he often stared down the defense before making moves. He wasn't great from downtown. He's not an explosive athlete and required savviness to get open. He could have trouble with separation and finishing around the rim. Was somewhat tunnel visioned in attack. Was mid-range dominant.

What I like about Davis... A great compe or. Very good and willing defender, even when carrying a massive scoring load. Craftiness with the ball -- he clears defenders at speed without fouling them because of control and craft. Great rebounder at his size. Shot more free throws per than Zion Williamson. Character and competetiveness seem to be very high. Could be a relentless and active scorer.

I think the ball-sticking was a factor of his usage rate. Can he make snap decisions in moving the ball in a motion offense? With defenses not utterly keyed on him, can he hit at a better rate from deep?

I am fairly confident the issues surrounding the sticking and slowness to start moves were situational to how bad Wisky's offense otherwise was. I believe he can be effective if his usage scales down.

Right now, the Spurs only have two slashers -- Dejounte, Walker, and I think Walker is gone. Right now, the Spurs don't have a single player who can be counted on to score when needed. Davis is used to that role.

He is not my first pick at #9 right now, but he's definitely on my short list.

[SAGirl]

I think switchability has become overrated in the modern NBA. You need guys who can guard a position well rather than just "well enough". If Davis can guard Ja and Trae, then he has value. If he can't, I don't care what SGs, SFs or PFs he can guard. It doesn't matter. The Spurs have a number of team defenders who can make an impact off the ball or if they don't have to cover multiple guys, but stars still eat right through those players. Finding that guy should be the team's top priority if they even look at a guy under 6-7. Davis being able to do this makes him interesting if the Spurs trade back. It doesn't make him all that interesting at 9. I don't care about moxie. Guys with chutzpa can be found all over the draft. Give me a guy with the skills the Spurs need at nine and look for those intangibles with the later picks.

Prepare yourself for disappointment then. Not because of Davis, but bc I think the Spurs just look at youth, character and potential with their highest pick, not need.

I hate to bring him up but it just comes to mind... What do you think the Spurs were looking for with Primo? The only thing one knew for sure was that he could shoot and play off the ball and was so young that there was potential for more. They also valued his growth plates a lot for some reason, hoping that even physically he'd grow to be a more impressive specimen. It was all potential.

Spurs have been taking tickets with very young guys and not look at any specific need like you describe but some potential to be a star wing IMO.

I have no idea if they think this guys is it, but I don't think their approach is to find what you describe there with the 9th pick, which is why I say that you will be disappointed. They will take their gambles.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

I like Davis and see him as one of the higher upside players who could be available at 9. He's a good shooter despite of his inefficiency for all the reasons explained in the OP. He was a one man show and had to do everything on both sides of the ball and he was also hurt, he could have sat and preserved his stock but he toughened up and chose to play for his team at the cost of a million scouts blaming him for his late season struggles. Coaches love players like that.

My only issue with him is that he couldn't get to the rim at all despite of his good ballhandling and footwork. He didn't have any spacing to work with but it's still a concern, he settled for too many contested midrange Js.

That said, he has an ideas skillset for the modern NBA - he could be a good roleplayer due to his intangibles, defense, effort, toughness, spot up shooting but he could also grow into a major scoring threat with his ability to create for himself. He has everything a team needs from a perimeter player to be able to stay on the floor during the playoffs in today's NBA.

I like Daniels too but there are concerns with his shot, he projects are a high lever roleplayer, whereas Davis has more upside. The problem is that if both end up as roleplayers, which is the most likely outcome, then I consider Daniels the better one. But higher upside is always tantalizing I think it's similar with Duren vs Williams.

[rascal]

Prepare yourself for disappointment then. Not because of Davis, but bc I think the Spurs just look at youth, character and potential with their highest pick, not need.

I hate to bring him up but it just comes to mind... What do you think the Spurs were looking for with Primo? The only thing one knew for sure was that he could shoot and play off the ball and was so young that there was potential for more. They also valued his growth plates a lot for some reason, hoping that even physically he'd grow to be a more impressive specimen. It was all potential.

Spurs have been taking tickets with very young guys and not look at any specific need like you describe but some potential to be a star wing IMO.

I have no idea if they think this guys is it, but I don't think their approach is to find what you describe there with the 9th pick, which is why I say that you will be disappointed. They will take their gambles.

They may not gamble as much this year and go for a more sure player.
They may have been underwhelmed by Primo last year and decide not to reach and play it more safe this year.

They also have later picks where they will take more of the gamble on a player at those picks. Look for the safest pick at 9.

With their emphasis on defense I think Sochan is going to be the pick at 9.

[rascal]

I like Davis and see him as one of the higher upside players who could be available at 9. He's a good shooter despite of his inefficiency for all the reasons explained in the OP. He was a one man show and had to do everything on both sides of the ball and he was also hurt, he could have sat and preserved his stock but he toughened up and chose to play for his team at the cost of a million scouts blaming him for his late season struggles. Coaches love players like that.

My only issue with him is that he couldn't get to the rim at all despite of his good ballhandling and footwork. He didn't have any spacing to work with but it's still a concern, he settled for too many contested midrange Js.

That said, he has an ideas skillset for the modern NBA - he could be a good roleplayer due to his intangibles, defense, effort, toughness, spot up shooting but he could also grow into a major scoring threat with his ability to create for himself. He has everything a team needs from a perimeter player to be able to stay on the floor during the playoffs in today's NBA.

I like Daniels too but there are concerns with his shot, he projects are a high lever roleplayer, whereas Davis has more upside. The problem is that if both end up as roleplayers, which is the most likely outcome, then I consider Daniels the better one. But higher upside is always tantalizing I think it's similar with Duren vs Williams.

The Spurs have to stop loading the team with similar skilled players lacking in the ability to take it to the rim and break down the defense.

They need more athleticism, they lag behind other teams in overall team athleticism.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

The Spurs have to stop loading the team with similar skilled players lacking in the ability to take it to the rim and break down the defense.

They need more athleticism, they lag behind other teams in overall team athleticism.

Athletic players who can break down the defense don't fall to 9th so it's a moot point. Mathurin and Davis might be the only ones with a tiny bit of a chance to grow into doing it from this draft.

[Uriel]

Sounds like a bigger George Hill IMO.

[Uriel]

It’s also worth noting that he has drawn comparisons to Manu Ginobili.

[PhantomDashCam]

I like Davis and see him as one of the higher upside players who could be available at 9. He's a good shooter despite of his inefficiency for all the reasons explained in the OP. He was a one man show and had to do everything on both sides of the ball and he was also hurt, he could have sat and preserved his stock but he toughened up and chose to play for his team at the cost of a million scouts blaming him for his late season struggles. Coaches love players like that.

My only issue with him is that he couldn't get to the rim at all despite of his good ballhandling and footwork. He didn't have any spacing to work with but it's still a concern, he settled for too many contested midrange Js.

That said, he has an ideas skillset for the modern NBA - he could be a good roleplayer due to his intangibles, defense, effort, toughness, spot up shooting but he could also grow into a major scoring threat with his ability to create for himself. He has everything a team needs from a perimeter player to be able to stay on the floor during the playoffs in today's NBA.

I like Daniels too but there are concerns with his shot, he projects are a high lever roleplayer, whereas Davis has more upside. The problem is that if both end up as roleplayers, which is the most likely outcome, then I consider Daniels the better one. But higher upside is always tantalizing I think it's similar with Duren vs Williams.

I actually think Daniels has the higher upside. He's grown 3-4 inches in about 9 months, is arguably a better defender, (a more versatile one too...), and has already had a year going through virtually an NBA internship playing against grown men.

My thing with Davis, and this is purely subjective so make of it what you will; all of Davis' play seems predicated on effort. Nothing looks easy for him. The great scorers usually can make things look effortless at times. Johnny looks like he labors through every shot attempt, be it a drive or middy.

There seems to be some varying reports on Johnny Davis as a ball handler too, suggesting the self creation is an issue.

https://www.teaandrockets.com/post/s...-self-creation

Even when he was able to get by his man, that first step doesn’t exactly stand out. It’s fine, if not spectacular. There are definitely a couple of clips where it looks faster here, so maybe it’s a question more of consistency than an overall inability, but the dribble also looks a little heavy to me, pushed out wide and just a little laboured. There’s also his decision making on drives, which is pretty poor. When he’s under pressure and not simply going north-south, he often runs into traffic, whether into the help defender at the nail or his own teammate.

When he’s in a straight up isolation situation, he’s rarely able to get by his man – either with speed or with craft. Even when he’s had a big man in front of him, the simple crossover move hasn’t gotten him anywhere. What he settles for instead, is trying to drive into his man and bump him back, then use a quick stepback with the separation. He shows good footwork, but he’s not really strong enough to move even a retreating defender further back, and he’s not a good enough pullup shooter for this to be reliable offense. Unfortunately we’re still not seeing much skill with the handle, which is why I still place a fairly hard ceiling on his on-ball projection.

He only averages 2.1 turnovers a game, but from what I have seen these are mostly live dribble turnovers, rather than errant passes. Using his handle to get separation is just not something he can reliably do right now (which does makes some of his shot making even more impressive).

Earlier I brought up James Bouknight as another guard who perhaps is a little ball dominant due to the ancillary pieces that occupied the UConn. team in 2021.

https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2021/...wks-news-rumor

The thing is while Davis is unquestionably better Defensively, Bouknight looks to be the better overall Offensive player due to the variety of ways he can get to his shot.

	Johnny Davis	James Bouknight
Profile	Profile	Profile
Mock	#12 to OKC	2021
Big Board	#13
Position	SG	SG
Team	Wisconsin	UConn
Year	Sop re	Sop re
Height	6'5.75"	6'4.75"
Weight	196 lbs	190 lbs
Wingspan	6'8.5" WINGSPAN	6'8.25" WINGSPAN
Draft Age	20.31 yrs	20.75 yrs
Games	31	15
Minutes	34.2	31.7
	Johnny Davis	James Bouknight
	Stats Below are Per-36-Minutes
Points	20.8	21.3
Rebounds	8.7	6.4
Assists	2.2	2.0
Blocks	0.8	0.3
Steals	1.2	1.3
Turnovers	2.4	3.2
Fouls	2.1	2.1
	Johnny Davis	James Bouknight
FG	7.1-16.7	7.4-16.6
FG%	.427	.447
3P	1.3-4.1	1.7-5.7
3P%	.306	.293
FT	5.3-6.7	4.8-6.1
FT%	.791	.778
	Johnny Davis	James Bouknight
TS%	.523	.546
EFG%	.464	.498
3PA Rate	.246	.342
FTA Rate	.398	.370
PROJ NBA3	.351	.356
	Johnny Davis	James Bouknight
USG%	32.5	31.6
PER	24.3	23.3
OWS/40	.094	.109
DWS/40	.075	.067
WS/40	.170	.177
ORTG	105.8	108.7
DRTG	95.8	98.4
OBPM	5.8	6.1
DBPM	3.0	2.5
BPM	8.9	8.6

[The Truth #6]

His pure athleticism is probably lacking. But after watching Luka Sammich and Walker, both with great athleticism but befuddled, lost and overwhelmed, I think I'm okay leaning into Davis for his intangibles. He wasn't efficient but I think Pop would be the coach to milk everything out of him. I think Dyson Daniels would work out fine, but I'm still leaning towards Davis. Superb measurements gets equated with upside, but with Davis I see his work ethic as upside in a different way. The vast majority of players are not this insanely compe ive, so I'm okay rolling the dice with Davis.

[Mr. Body]

Really interesting to see how close he matches Bouknight. They seem like very different players, although I watched Davis much more than I did Bouknight. And there are glimmers of at ude problems with the latter, of course.

[Mr. Body]

His pure athleticism is probably lacking. But after watching Luka Sammich and Walker, both with great athleticism but befuddled, lost and overwhelmed, I think I'm okay leaning into Davis for his intangibles. He wasn't efficient but I think Pop would be the coach to milk everything out of him. I think Dyson Daniels would work out fine, but I'm still leaning towards Davis. Superb measurements gets equated with upside, but with Davis I see his work ethic as upside in a different way. The vast majority of players are not this insanely compe ive, so I'm okay rolling the dice with Davis.

Athleticism is great, but not everything. Booker isn't the most athletic guy. Other shooting guards over the years haven't been the most athletic, like Ray Allen or Van Fleet, etc.

[The Truth #6]

Athleticism is great, but not everything. Booker isn't the most athletic guy. Other shooting guards over the years haven't been the most athletic, like Ray Allen or Van Fleet, etc.

Exactly. Hard to say how Davis pans out exactly but he looks to have at least some role in the NBA, which is better than Walker or Sammich. But beyond all that, I still think we need a two way player that can score 1-1 and in isolation; Davis isn't perfect but probably the best option at 9, though Jalen Williams sounds intriguing but that probably would be a gamble in itself. Picking at 9 is an interesting problem.

[duncan2150]

My issues with Davis... The ball stuck a lot in his hands, he was a ballstopper. When the ball moved to him, he often stared down the defense before making moves. He wasn't great from downtown. He's not an explosive athlete and required savviness to get open. He could have trouble with separation and finishing around the rim. Was somewhat tunnel visioned in attack. Was mid-range dominant.

What I like about Davis... A great compe or. Very good and willing defender, even when carrying a massive scoring load. Craftiness with the ball -- he clears defenders at speed without fouling them because of control and craft. Great rebounder at his size. Shot more free throws per than Zion Williamson. Character and competetiveness seem to be very high. Could be a relentless and active scorer.

I think the ball-sticking was a factor of his usage rate. Can he make snap decisions in moving the ball in a motion offense? With defenses not utterly keyed on him, can he hit at a better rate from deep?

I am fairly confident the issues surrounding the sticking and slowness to start moves were situational to how bad Wisky's offense otherwise was. I believe he can be effective if his usage scales down.

Right now, the Spurs only have two slashers -- Dejounte, Walker, and I think Walker is gone. Right now, the Spurs don't have a single player who can be counted on to score when needed. Davis is used to that role.

He is not my first pick at #9 right now, but he's definitely on my short list.

Imo a lot of his flaws are totally due to playing in a really poor Wisconsin team.

He's in my top 4 for this pick and he's the only one who's good on offense and defense imo.

[rjv]

not the sexiest pick but considering that the spurs have had a few high ceiling misses lately perhaps a high floor pick wouldn't be the worst thing to opt for.

[KobesAchilles]

Well we do need a back up PF behind KJ so I can see us drafting him

I actually like that he takes stupid shots. I see that as a positive rather than a negative. As long as it isn't Westbrook level of course. Also idgaf about my SG assist to turnover ratio. If he's a 3 level scorer and a defensive player then I'm not going to nitpick about his play making. But drafting a 6 ft 4 guard isn't really a need. Unless Vassell is officially going to be our starting SF. I think another guard keeps KJ at the 4 and keeps us way too small so I prefer not to do that.

[Mr. Body]

Imo a lot of his flaws are totally due to playing in a really poor Wisconsin team.

He's in my top 4 for this pick and he's the only one who's good on offense and defense imo.

He's definitely enticing. I also have a top 4 for that pick. As far as SGs, I currently have Mathurin above Davis almost purely because he's so tantalyzing with his athleticism and fire, but might be a y bas and his defense isn't as good.

[duncan2150]

He's definitely enticing. I also have a top 4 for that pick. As far as SGs, I currently have Mathurin above Davis almost purely because he's so tantalyzing with his athleticism and fire, but might be a y bas and his defense isn't as good.

Yes i understand, i have him over Mathurin because the late one could be a good defender but lacks some fundamentals for the moment. Both can score with Mathurin being a threat behind the arc, Davis is more mid range but i'm confident on his threes.

[BatManu20]

Sounds like a bigger George Hill IMO.

His game is nothing like George Hill’s

[rascal]

Athletic players who can break down the defense don't fall to 9th so it's a moot point. Mathurin and Davis might be the only ones with a tiny bit of a chance to grow into doing it from this draft.

Mathurin would be nice.

[Uriel]

His game is nothing like George Hill’s

Well, I defer to your expertise then. I never once watched Wisconsin this season.

[The Truth #6]

Don't get me wrong, I don't love the mid-range game at the expense of shooting threes, and it's hard to say if the Spurs will push him to shoot more threes. But I believe he's solid at the corner three percentage wise, so the hope is that since he isn't afraid to shoot in general, that he will transition as needed to fit the modern NBA game. That interview says he models his game after Devin Booker, so there could be worse comparisons, I suppose.

[BatManu20]

He’ll improve from with 3 time, experience, and more space, as most young players do. Especially with his work ethic. He may never be a sniper, but he’ll get up to league average at least imo. Has solid form on his jump shot. Not worried about that aspect of his game at all. His real questions are what his ceiling is.

[Dejounte]

I hear a lot of times that this guy is a good defender. In the NBA though? Guards his size who are elite defenders are usually stocky (Jrue, Smart). I think his ceiling on defense is above average at best.

[John B]

Sounds like a bigger George Hill IMO.

Nothing like GH. But yup, Pop might love this kid from day 1. The kid is a winner and will do everything to win, rebound, block, attack the rim, shoot. He would not be gun shy as the #1 option of Wisconsin. Reminds me a bit of DJ, iness for lack of better term, desire to get better, winning at ude.

Does he check the immediate need of size at PF? Nope. But you take him if he’s available and worry about drafting an Eason at 15.