JD Davison, 2nd round pick

JakeRae

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BigSoxFan said:
Yeah, he changed his entire perception even if the advanced stats don’t back it up. Was originally supposed to be the salary match in that deal and he turned out to be the prize (although that could potentially change). Just a perfect fir in GS.
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I doubt I was alone in thinking that deal was a huge win for the Warriors because they got an equivalent player who was a much better fit and the draft picks. I think that was a mix of Wiggins was already trending in the right direction toward being a solid player, Russell being hugely overrated, and positional fit. I also think there was a realistic hope from day 1 that Wiggins would become a much better defender on a well coached team.

I say this not to disagree with you, but to point out that the success of Wiggins on the Warriors is something that a lot of people saw as a reasonable probability outcome after that trade.
 
BigSoxFan

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JakeRae said:
I doubt I was alone in thinking that deal was a huge win for the Warriors because they got an equivalent player who was a much better fit and the draft picks. I think that was a mix of Wiggins was already trending in the right direction toward being a solid player, Russell being hugely overrated, and positional fit. I also think there was a realistic hope from day 1 that Wiggins would become a much better defender on a well coached team.

I say this not to disagree with you, but to point out that the success of Wiggins on the Warriors is something that a lot of people saw as a reasonable probability outcome after that trade.
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Yeah, I remember being surprised by the move from Minny's standpoint. I saw it as more of a double than the home run it became. And if Kuminga reaches his potential, it was basically a grand slam trade.
 
nattysez

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28 points, 10 assists, 5 rebs and a block today. Getting overly excited about Summer League stats is a mistake, but this was a standout performance
 
Imbricus

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3 turnovers, but that's not bad for a 19-year-old with 10 assists. I only saw the game highlights, but the kid looked really good. Is it too early to dream that Brad might've found second-round gold? (Will be interesting to see him matched up against NBA-caliber talent, but he looks like he should turn into a solid rotation player at least.)
 
benhogan

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Imbricus said:
3 turnovers, but that's not bad for a 19-year-old with 10 assists. I only saw the game highlights, but the kid looked really good. Is it too early to dream that Brad might've found second-round gold? (Will be interesting to see him matched up against NBA-caliber talent, but he looks like he should turn into a solid rotation player at least.)
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with his speed and lack of G-League defense, he'll put up points in Maine.

Expect plenty of coast-to-coast fast break lob/dunks
 
Jed Zeppelin

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I know there was a lot of talk about JD’s true height but he doesn’t look that small on the court to me.

But that may just be because when guys are listed at 6’1” (his shoeless height), they are usually more like 5’10” or whatever. He’s not a tiny guy out there and the athleticism can be an equalizer.
 
Imbricus

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Jed Zeppelin said:
He’s not a tiny guy out there and the athleticism can be an equalizer.
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That's true, though he does play small on defense close to the basket. It hasn't been hard for guys to shoot over him. He'll have to learn to put his body into those bigger players a little more. He does look pretty sturdy.
 
TripleOT

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Imbricus said:
3 turnovers, but that's not bad for a 19-year-old with 10 assists. I only saw the game highlights, but the kid looked really good. Is it too early to dream that Brad might've found second-round gold? (Will be interesting to see him matched up against NBA-caliber talent, but he looks like he should turn into a solid rotation player at least.)
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I just watched the entire game against Memphis, and JDD controlled this game from opening whistle until the final horn. His improvement in floor generalship these four SL games has been impressive. He was looking to pass first, took shots only when the shots became available, and knocked them down (28 points 9-14, 4-6 from three, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, plus 22). He looked really impressive with the 1/5 pick rolls, and has good touch on the lobs. Only two of his three turnovers were in flow, with one freak turnover when he was dribbling the ball over half court unguarded and it hit off his foot.

Defensively, he tends to allow himself to get kicked off by the big and then tries to recover from the backside to either block a layup or a short jumper, and obviously that’s not going to be acceptable. He did spike block a Zhaire Williams lab attempt, which showed his raw athleticism and awareness.

The usual summer league caveats apply, but that was an eye opening example of how to play point guard by Davison.
 
reggiecleveland

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TripleOT said:
He was looking to pass first,.

Only two of his three turnovers were in flow,
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These are my observations as well. They are clearly preppinghim for a role as a ball control 1. He has been better than I expected. Usually these 2nd round athlets are a bit messy and hope they improve. But he has looked more like a player than an athlete. He has the burst and hops when he needs them.
 
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lovegtm

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Jed Zeppelin said:
I know there was a lot of talk about JD’s true height but he doesn’t look that small on the court to me.

But that may just be because when guys are listed at 6’1” (his shoeless height), they are usually more like 5’10” or whatever. He’s not a tiny guy out there and the athleticism can be an equalizer.
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He has a decent wingspan (6'6) and a very long standing reach for his height (8'3, as long as Marcus).

He's not particularly small unless his team finds itself in a game of soccer and he needs to head the ball.
 
lovegtm

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Imbricus said:
3 turnovers, but that's not bad for a 19-year-old with 10 assists. I only saw the game highlights, but the kid looked really good. Is it too early to dream that Brad might've found second-round gold? (Will be interesting to see him matched up against NBA-caliber talent, but he looks like he should turn into a solid rotation player at least.)
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Yes, too early to dream, unfortunately.

Although I will say that he reminds me a lot of Rozier. Similar measurements, both very athletic, some ability to run point. Shots that aren't exactly broken but need a lot of work/reps.
 
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Eddie Jurak

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At the end of the day, this guy seems like a great use of a low second round pick.

I assume that the expected return on the 53rd pick is roughly ~0, and there is good reason to think this kid can be better than that. Together with Begarin, that gives the Celtics 2 decent project types, which is a productive use of second round picks, IMO.
 
PedroKsBambino

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I agree - the two profiles I like for second-round picks are the Begarin/Davison profile (athletic, potential, and questions are about skills/execution) or the 'future role player' model, which often is a four-year college player who fits off the bench but lacks projection (physically or skill-wise)....sort of the Tremont Waters type profile (though not a four year college guy, more or less a finished product). Those guys can be helpful cost-controlled rotation players for a few years especially as the team gets (overall) more expensive. As Eddie Jurak notes, the expected value is very low for all these picks, and across the roster you often want some portfolio of those profiles anyway
 
benhogan

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John Hollinger from the Athletic's take;
While many of the league’s second-round picks took their lumps, a few exceptions stood out by making an immediate impact, raising hopes that their respective teams may have found a steal

JD Davison, Boston: An athletic guard who slipped to 53rd in the draft due to concerns about his shooting and reading the game, Davison proved readier than expected for the step up in competition. Some of this might be outlier shooting — he made 7 of 15 from 3 and 12 of 14 from the line, shocking anyone who saw him at Alabama — but he also dished out 41 assists in five games and left an impact across the box score. Despite Davison being a late pick, don’t be surprised if the Celtics sign him to a roster contract; having his rookie minimum on the books would offer seven-figure luxury-tax savings.


Keith Smith's take
J.D. Davison: The 2022 second-round pick didn’t disappoint. If anything, he showed up better than anyone could have reasonably expected. Davison was Boston’s other rostered player to appear in Las Vegas, after he signed a Two-Way shortly before play started.

The goals for Davison were to show that he could play under control, run an offense and that his defensive skills would translate to the NBA game. Check. Check. And check.

At times, the Alabama product overwhelmed opponents with his speed and athleticism, but it wasn’t the only thing in his bag of tricks. Davison did a nice job of running the offense in the halfcourt. Yes, the turnovers were still a bit high, but that’s part of the deal in Summer League. Far more encouraging were the 8.2 assists per game that Davison averaged.

On defense, Davison has all the skills to be a force. He’s both quick enough to stay in front of almost everyone, but also strong enough to take contact without getting thrown off. His instincts for steals and blocks are off the charts.

Davison needs to log some G League time, which is why he’s on a Two-Way. The Celtics also have great guard depth with the big club. But, in time, Davison looks like he’ll play himself off his Two-Way deal and onto a standard one. Next up? Let’s see if the good shooting from Summer League translates to the G League. If so, Boston has a potential steal in their 2022 second rounder.
 
chilidawg

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Nice little piece on Davison. I thought the last line was pretty funny, sorry rook you're off my radar.

“I always talk to (Jayson) Tatum and Marcus Smart a lot. They always come to me first though because they know I’m coming to them first. We always talk a lot,” Davison said.

Just in the back court, Davison has a cadre of point guards to learn from: Smart, Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, and Malcolm Brogdon. As fortunate as he’ll be in terms of role models, that’s also why he’ll be shuttling between the big club and Maine. The 20-year-old will get his reps in the G-League and per his head coach, Joe Mazzulla, the assignment is easy when you’re back in Boston.

“He basically tells me, ‘talk to Smart.’ That’s it.”


https://www.celticsblog.com/2022/10/5/23388622/jd-davison-learning-from-marcus-smart-boston-celtics-training-camp-jayson-tatum
 
TripleOT

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JDD probably would be in the rotation if on a bad team like the Pistons. Great athlete, good feel for the game, and unafraid.

He’s putting up solid G League numbers: 15 ppg on only 9.7 shots, 48/45/82% shooting, 6.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists. The bad news: 5 turnovers a game.
 
DavidTai

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I was surprised he didn't just play to his strengths and drive during garbage time. Might have just been testing his 3-shot.

Back to the lab, JDD.
 
Jimbodandy

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DavidTai said:
I was surprised he didn't just play to his strengths and drive during garbage time. Might have just been testing his 3-shot.

Back to the lab, JDD.
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Unfortunately he was out there with PP, and being a good rook, he didn't bogart the ball and deferred to the veteran ballhandler. Hopefully there's more happy garbage time in the future, and he gets out there with a couple of rim-runners. Penetration and lobs are his bread and butter right now, but corner three statue is not.
 
Reverend

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DavidTai said:
I was surprised he didn't just play to his strengths and drive during garbage time. Might have just been testing his 3-shot.

Back to the lab, JDD.
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What I’m hearing is that CJM has been telling everyone to take the open three when it’s there, even early in the clock. If so, if he wants more playing time, it behooves him to follow the game plan, I would think.
 
Fishy1

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here's JD's g-league stats so far. Can see why he might have been feeling good about his 3 ball!
57799
 
HomeRunBaker

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DavidTai said:
I was surprised he didn't just play to his strengths and drive during garbage time. Might have just been testing his 3-shot.

Back to the lab, JDD.
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My recollection of him in college was a 1-2 dribble blow by and pass, or jump shooter…..rather than a blow by and finish type of guard. At this level against bigger and more athletic players defending the rim I’d expect even less of him getting all the way to the rim. It’s very likely that what we saw in garbage time is what he’s been working on with the assistant coaches in workouts.

Edit: 38% of his FGA last year were 3’s.
 
Jimbodandy

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NomarsFool said:
Triple double, at his size? Impressive.
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Not to compare these two exactly, but he's .75" shorter than Donovan Mitchell barefoot (6'0.5" to 6'1.25"). He doesn't quite have Mitchell's freakish wingspan (6'6" to 6'10"), but he has a larger standing reach (8'3.5" to 8'1").

Like Mitchell he probably plays bigger than his height.
 
NomarsFool

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Jimbodandy said:
Not to compare these two exactly, but he's .75" shorter than Donovan Mitchell barefoot (6'0.5" to 6'1.25"). He doesn't quite have Mitchell's freakish wingspan (6'6" to 6'10"), but he has a larger standing reach (8'3.5" to 8'1").
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Weird that he would have a 4" shorter wingspan, but 2.5" longer standing reach. Basically means Mitchell is 6.5" wider, right? Or, I guess it also depends on where your arms are attached. We need a new measurement, which is height of your shoulders - which, actually, makes more sense than the height of the top of your head :)
 
nighthob

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Mitchell is built like an NFL linebacker. A large part of his wingspan is the width of his shoulders. JD's length is a function of his arms rather than his mass.
 
TripleOT

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JDD is in the perfect situation to develop. He can learn from every guard on the Boston roster. The fact that he has looked uninspiring in the few garbage time minutes he has played this season indicates to me that he has bought in to being developed the right way. Instead of flaunting his top shelf athleticism, he tries to play the right way. He will be a low cost fourth PG if and when Pritchard prices himself off the roster.
 
Eddie Jurak

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TripleOT said:
JDD is in the perfect situation to develop. He can learn from every guard on the Boston roster. The fact that he has looked uninspiring in the few garbage time minutes he has played this season indicates to me that he has bought in to being developed the right way. Instead of flaunting his top shelf athleticism, he tries to play the right way. He will be a low cost fourth PG if and when Pritchard prices himself off the roster.
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I don't read much into his few garbage minutes. He was an intriguing low level prospect coming into the year and I think he's been good enough in Maine to reinforce that. (And I think the G league is a little better for guard development than for center development. Just ask Jordan Mickey, Tacko Fall, and Fab Melo (RIP) how their G league production translated to the NBA).

Celtic prospects, ranked (IMO):

1. Begarin
2. JDD
3. Kabengele
4. Madar
 
HomeRunBaker

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Saints Rest said:
My sleep deprived brain can’t recall the name of the small PG who was G League MVP a couple years ago who was worthless in todays NBA. But how different is he from JDD?
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Frank Mason the undersized guard from Kansas? He was more of a guy going the other direction having gotten NBA minutes on lottery teams and not cutting it only to go down and put up numbers on younger, worse, and less experienced players.
 
PC Drunken Friar

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Eddie Jurak said:
I don't read much into his few garbage minutes. He was an intriguing low level prospect coming into the year and I think he's been good enough in Maine to reinforce that. (And I think the G league is a little better for guard development than for center development. Just ask Jordan Mickey, Tacko Fall, and Fab Melo (RIP) how their G league production translated to the NBA).

Celtic prospects, ranked (IMO):

1. Begarin
2. JDD
3. Kabengele
4. Madar
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This made me look him up. Taco Fall is now in the CBA (China) top league for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. A top-5 team, averaging 14/10/3 (blocks).
 
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