prime1time wrote:doclinkin wrote:AFM wrote:I really, really like Davis. I've been watching his footage. Dude has a spectacular midrange game.
A spectacular mid-range game that hits at a 35% clip. Meaning: inefficient. The hope is that this opens up when he is not the focal point of the defense. And that it works better despite better defenders at the next level.
I like Davis for his effort and potential to improve with hard work. And his 80% FT shooting suggests he might build a 3 ball. But unless your mid-range is above say 45~50% or you can force a ton of fouls with it, it is not as good as lay-ups/dunks and outside shots. He would need a Kawhi level mid-range game for this to be the team's best option on offense.
To put it simply this is a bad take because it is devoid of context. Wiscconsin's offense had no spacing.
You can take that a few ways. Wisconsin's offense had no spacing in part because the team had no Point Guard and opted to give Johnny the ball on every play. After that the offense is predictable because Davis does not have an outside shot that he can get off to force teams to chase him outside the arc. Folks cite his 38% on catch and shoot 3's from the NCAA line, which to the contrary, is not actually all that good. These are wide open shots most of the time. If Davis was a threat to step back and hit a shot off the dribble, teams would not be able to load up on the interior and his dribble penetration game would be a serious weapon. A pump fake, a side step, fake and reposition, hesitation, give me any move that will free him for an outside jumper and he will suddenly be hitting even those interior shots at better than 35%. That is the context we are talking about. He was able to penetrate, and not lose the ball even in a crowd -- that part of his game is excellent -- then he would pull up and take a shot, which would miss 65% of the time. He had 2 interior scorers who hit their 2pt FG's at a high rate. But Davis' game was to put his head down and attack. He wasn't finding the open guy past all the defensive attention he received.
I'd love it if Davis was able to learn from Beal. One thing that Beal has been able to rely on in past years, the step back that sprung him open for 3. He also learned to share the ball and increase his assist rate. His mid-range game was supplemented by interior scoring and at least the threat of an outside shot. Early on he showed he knew how to play while off the ball and in motion, which is a part of his game that I am looking forward to seeing rejuvenate if we get a chance to see him with Porzingis. I'd like to see Davis add these skills to a game that right now, to me, does not look like it translates all that well. At the next level he will have more efficient scorers around him, Davis putting his head down and driving into traffic while his teammates stand around is not an efficient game plan.
Dude is a competitor. All aces in that department. Will to win, undaunted, tough. He never gave the ball up in either way: turnovers or rebounding. Or passing to teammates, but yeah: he has shown he is willing to carry a team and was able to do so. That is all hopeful.
But it is fair to actually talk about context, so long as you look at the whole picture: Davis' entire game was to have tunnelvision and drive at the heart of the defense, making difficult shots and somehow winning out of sheer force of will. If we are talking what he *might do* at the next level, we have to admit he didn't show those skills at the college level. Maybe at the next level he is not an inefficient ballhog that we have seen in other high usage players. Maybe he is a more willing passer when his teammates can hit shots. Maybe he has space at the next level to hit a higher percentage -- even against more skilled, quicker, longer defenders. Like Kofi Cockburn, only quicker. But acknowledge in context you are drafting a bunch of "maybe" in a guy that did not yet show the game that he is going to need at the pro level.
I can paint a picture where Porzingis is an ideal teammate for a ball handling guy who penetrates to the interior and rebounds big from a guard position. Finishes at the basket and draws fouls. I can talk about how fierce defense is now allowed at the NBA so rookies who played tough in college are not as vulnerable to foul trouble coming into the league, and his ability to stop the ball and flummox opposing attackers will give Gafford time to get into position for the block, and reduce his propensity for fouls.
But I will like it more when Davis shows he can drive and kick to an outside shooter, and when he develops a shot he can either take from long distance or better still shake free on a fake and fly-by where he can rise and hit the shot from outside. Those are pro skills teams look for in a ball handling attack guard, otherwise it is easier to defend. 35% from mid-range is not the skill that got him drafted Top 10.
