Welcome JD Davison!

[DefenseWinsChamps]

According to Givony, some executives see him pretty similarly to Jaden Ivey last year - a year too raw.

The raw tools are definitely there. He's a pretty exciting prospect to grab at the end of the second round.

[Vermont Green]

I understand that it is hard to be excited about a player taken with the 53rd pick but I understand the strategy.  There was no expectation that this pick was going to help the team next season anyway so instead of picking for how ready or how close a player might be, they went for upside and potential.

Keep in mind, that even of the 14 lottery picks, a couple of those players will be total wash outs and likely have no better careers than Davison.  Davison may never see the NBA but there is some potential there, some raw ability.  I look forward to seeing him in the summer league so I can begin to form an opinion, see how that raw ability looks against summer league competition (which isn't quite NBA but still a decent marker).

He will be 20 in October so still really young.  He is from Alabama and went to school in Alabama.  He is going to be facing a lot of adjustments.  Stevens' comments made it clear that they are committed to supporting him and developing him.  I think that support, both on court and off court are going to be important.

[celts55]

I know nothing about the kid, but seems a bit like the strategy they used to draft Romeo.
Excellent high school player who didn’t play up to potential in college. Big difference is this guy was taken 53rd as opposed to 14th.

Not excited about the high turnovers and inconsistent shooting, but maybe a year or two in g league will help.

53rd picks are a gamble anyway. Wish him good luck

[boscel33]

CBS Grade:

53. Boston Celtics: PG J.D. Davison, Alabama

Low-risk, high-reward proposition in grabbing a former five-star recruit in Davison who has an excellent prospect pedigree but struggled last season with Alabama. He's still learning and feeling out the game but he's a tremendous athlete with great burst and real long-term developmental upside. Grade: A-

[celticinorlando]

Send him to the g league this year. Not ready to play the nba level.

[ozgod]

This is from Eamonn Brennan at the Athletic wrote about him. Subscribers can read the full article.

It will be little mystery as to why he was picked, despite one relatively shaky college season under his belt: athleticism. At 6-foot-2, Davison is an electric mover and leaper, responsible for as many jaw-dropping one-off highlights as any player in college basketball last season. As a pure rim attacker, a downhill dribbler with a head of steam, there were few players more frightening for defenders. You can see this size being unleashed slightly more effectively with NBA spacing — Alabama spreads the floor as much as any high-profile college team, but no college group shoots it as well as many NBA teams do to restrain the impact of interior defensive help. When he’s running at the rim, Davison is an explosive force.

But the adjustment from small-town high school hoops to an elite competitive level showed up in almost every other facet of Davison’s game. He struggled with ballhandling and decision-making. “He’s probably more of a combo guard than a point guard,” Oats said. “He’s a good passer, but he had some issues with smaller guards getting up under him.” Which is how you post a 29 percent assist rate, which is great, but also a 29 percent turnover rate, which is not so great. He also struggled shooting, particularly from the perimeter; he was serviceable on catch-and-shoot opportunities, but off the dribble, if he wasn’t dunking, good things usually weren’t happening.

“The handle’s got to get tighter, because he can really pass,” Oats said. “But his handle’s not tight enough to where he can deal with the guy in front of him and be able to make the passes anyway. And he’s worked hard on his shot. He’s shot it well in workouts. Now he’s got to prove he can shoot consistently in game.”

These are big things for an ostensible point guard (or combo guard or whatever) to have to develop at the start of his professional career. The good news is that Davison is a worker. He’s quiet and unassuming — he’s not an obvious “he got that dog in him” candidate necessarily — and he’s also a teenager, and teenagers tend to need more time. (Defensively, Davison often looks like a teenager. He can block anybody’s shot, but his lateral defending can be messy.) Still, Oats saw a player that, when confronted with the different requirements of a higher level and no small amount of pressure to succeed, quietly decided to work harder than he had in the past.

It’s a promising attribute for a player who played well against the best teams on Alabama’s schedule last season, and who drew early NBA interest for good reason, but also one whose flaws prevented an otherwise can’t-miss athletic prospect from being more than a second-round flyer. “He’s willing to work, and there’s a ton of natural upside,” Oats said. “He’s got a lot of natural basketball ability.” The biggest adjustment of all is yet to come.

https://theathletic.com/3376384/2022/06/24/jd-davison-nba-draft/

[liam]

I was actually watching JD Davison for the draft before we made the White trade but stopped watching after that trade and wasn't concerned about the draft for the rest of the wild rollercoaster of the season. Davison needs to tighten up his game and work on that outside shot but I like that he's a freak athlete. He's a quick guard with long arms and quick feet. For a 53rd pick, he's solid.


44.5-inch vertical!

[liam]

Davison could be signed to a two way contract and just spend the year in Maine. He should tear up the G-League.

[Kuberski33]

Bad shooter and high turnover rate.

Exactly the guy you wanna take after a truly brutalizing finals series.

Ehh whatever... good luck JD, we're all pulling for you to be the next second round fairy tale

Any guard with one year of college ball is going to have question marks. You really can't make any conclusions about what they might turn into. Jaylen I think shot 28% from 3 his one year at California.

[Kuberski33]

I was actually watching JD Davison for the draft before we made the White trade but stopped watching after that trade and wasn't concerned about the draft for the rest of the wild rollercoaster of the season. Davison needs to tighten up his game and work on that outside shot but I like that he's a freak athlete. He's a quick guard with long arms and quick feet. For a 53rd pick, he's solid.


44.5-inch vertical!

Looks like I'm going to be watching the Maine Celtics quite a bit this season. I can see why they like him just from the clips. But it also seems like we're hexed when it comes to drafting guys with shooting ability. Even guys who can supposedly shoot, like Nesmith, become masters of the clank when they join this organization.

[hwangjini_1]

I was actually watching JD Davison for the draft before we made the White trade but stopped watching after that trade and wasn't concerned about the draft for the rest of the wild rollercoaster of the season. Davison needs to tighten up his game and work on that outside shot but I like that he's a freak athlete. He's a quick guard with long arms and quick feet. For a 53rd pick, he's solid.


44.5-inch vertical!

Looks like I'm going to be watching the Maine Celtics quite a bit this season. I can see why they like him just from the clips. But it also seems like we're hexed when it comes to drafting guys with shooting ability. Even guys who can supposedly shoot, like Nesmith, become masters of the clank when they join this organization.

so, you are saying you will be watching the "mane" in maine? 

[Goldstar88]

Brad Stevens post draft Interview on drafting JD Davidson.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-oQlaZNX7NE

[Phantom255x]

I read a scouting report where it says his weakness is shooting, defense and ball-handling.

LOL boy he'd sure fit right in with our team that played in the Finals 

[ozgod]

Davison could be signed to a two way contract and just spend the year in Maine. He should tear up the G-League.

Yup there's no value for him sitting on the bench being a cheerleader. Get him playing lesser competition so he can fix his issues.

[mef730]

I like the strategy of taking a very athletic PG who needs to improve his shooting and handle. Can’t teach athleticism. Boom or bust in the late 2nd round is the way to go.  Maybe he develops his skills. He’s only 19.

TP. I don't understand all the hate. He's the freakin' 53rd pick. If we picked a guy with bad shooting and a bad handle in the top-3, that would be one thing. At 53, you pick the biggest longshot with the most upside. There is absolutely nothing to lose. He's a free option.

Mike