Welcome JD Davison!

[nickagneta]

I see this kid being another Ben Bentil/Marcus Thornton type pick that never sees the big league team. He gets here, plays with the team over the summer and into preseason, but never earns a contract.

I hate looking at college stats to assess a player in the draft, but that 28% turnover rate is hard to ignore.

[libermaniac]

Long time follower, rarely post. Been a Celtics fan since the late 90s, and that only intensified as I have gotten older. In my house, it's:
1) Alabama football
2) Celtics basketball

Anyway, enough about me, I only gave the background to provide a window of insight (alabama born and raised, still live here) that probably not many C's fans have.

Before this draft, knowing we only had a late 2nd, I hoped that maybe he would slip a little and we could trade up bcz I thought there was no way JD would fall to us. There should be NO (zero) hate with this pick. This guy was a big-time recruit, that came to UA with a ton of fanfare/upside potential. Much of our fan base clamored that he needed to come back another year to develop (probably true, but, his decision). The 2 biggest opposing arguments were that his game/skillset suits the nba better and that he's from letohatchee, which is basically the middle of nowhere. Both are true, and according to nate oats, one and done was the plan all along anyway.

Anyway, this guy had a few nagging injuries that limited him much of the season, but he was still the best athlete on the floor nearly every time out. He's never had to refine his game, bcz he's always been the best athlete in the gym. Hes always played hard and with grit, and everything points to him being committed to working hard. Speaking purely from the standpoint of development, he's the perfect fit for us and we're the perfect situation for him. Not saying he's gonna be an all nba guy, but there's not anyone else we could've gotten with his level of potential upside at such a low cost.

Playing against Marcus smart will be HUGE for JD, and he could definitely surprise us in the future. Hopeful for the best!

Great post. TP. I hope you are not as wrong as I was when the Cs picked JR Giddens (from my New Mexico Lobos) and I posted about how good of a pick it was. 😂

[liam]

I see this kid being another Ben Bentil/Marcus Thornton type pick that never sees the big league team. He gets here, plays with the team over the summer and into preseason, but never earns a contract.

I hate looking at college stats to assess a player in the draft, but that 28% turnover rate is hard to ignore.

I hope you're wrong. This kid is an elite athlete which those other two aren't. Ja had a 20% turnover rate and averaged 5.6 turnovers per game as a sophomore. I think if JD had stayed in school next year he would be top 20 in the draft. I see him as a steal. I hope I'm right.

[libermaniac]

One thing I’ve always believed in is that you can tell if a guy has it or not based on his first few summer league games. I honestly can’t think of a successful pick we’ve made that didn’t look great in summer league or a guy who didn’t look good in summer league that became a good player for us (Max Strus might be the only exception but he became pretty good for Miami, not us). I think it boils down to confidence mixed with skill.

That said, I’m excited to see him in summer league.

[Goldstar88]

I see this kid being another Ben Bentil/Marcus Thornton type pick that never sees the big league team. He gets here, plays with the team over the summer and into preseason, but never earns a contract.

I hate looking at college stats to assess a player in the draft, but that 28% turnover rate is hard to ignore.

I hope you're wrong. This kid is an elite athlete which those other two aren't. Ja had a 20% turnover rate and averaged 5.6 turnovers per game as a sophomore. I think if JD had stayed in school next year he would be top 20 in the draft. I see him as a steal. I hope I'm right.

I’m pretty sure the two players mentioned above weren’t 5 star recruits and top 10 players in the country for their recruiting class. Pretty random/baseless comparison.

[liam]

One thing I’ve always believed in is that you can tell if a guy has it or not based on his first few summer league games. I honestly can’t think of a successful pick we’ve made that didn’t look great in summer league or a guy who didn’t look good in summer league that became a good player for us (Max Strus might be the only exception but he became pretty good for Miami, not us). I think it boils down to confidence mixed with skill.

That said, I’m excited to see him in summer league.

I really liked Strus in the summer league.

[libermaniac]

One thing I’ve always believed in is that you can tell if a guy has it or not based on his first few summer league games. I honestly can’t think of a successful pick we’ve made that didn’t look great in summer league or a guy who didn’t look good in summer league that became a good player for us (Max Strus might be the only exception but he became pretty good for Miami, not us). I think it boils down to confidence mixed with skill.

That said, I’m excited to see him in summer league.

I really liked Strus in the summer league.

I honestly don’t recall his performance, which is why I assumed he didn’t look good but my assumption is I just wrote him off because he’s a thick bodied, 6-5ish, slow player who’s only skill is shooting. Didn’t think that would translate.

[hwangjini_1]

Long time follower, rarely post. Been a Celtics fan since the late 90s, and that only intensified as I have gotten older. In my house, it's:
1) Alabama football
2) Celtics basketball

Anyway, enough about me, I only gave the background to provide a window of insight (alabama born and raised, still live here) that probably not many C's fans have.

Before this draft, knowing we only had a late 2nd, I hoped that maybe he would slip a little and we could trade up bcz I thought there was no way JD would fall to us. There should be NO (zero) hate with this pick. This guy was a big-time recruit, that came to UA with a ton of fanfare/upside potential. Much of our fan base clamored that he needed to come back another year to develop (probably true, but, his decision). The 2 biggest opposing arguments were that his game/skillset suits the nba better and that he's from letohatchee, which is basically the middle of nowhere. Both are true, and according to nate oats, one and done was the plan all along anyway.

Anyway, this guy had a few nagging injuries that limited him much of the season, but he was still the best athlete on the floor nearly every time out. He's never had to refine his game, bcz he's always been the best athlete in the gym. Hes always played hard and with grit, and everything points to him being committed to working hard. Speaking purely from the standpoint of development, he's the perfect fit for us and we're the perfect situation for him. Not saying he's gonna be an all nba guy, but there's not anyone else we could've gotten with his level of potential upside at such a low cost.

Playing against Marcus smart will be HUGE for JD, and he could definitely surprise us in the future. Hopeful for the best!

many thanks Jameson. great post and i enjoyed reading it.

after this, i am clearly rooting for this guy to turn into an nba player. and yes, the celtics could, maybe, might, possibly be a great situation for JD. nba experience without any pressure to succeed NOW! think the celtics will give him some time to develop.

Tacko has moved on, so JD is now my bench binky and i am cheering for him. 

oh, and a tp for the post.

[SHAQATTACK]

I wish Marcus had this dudes legs and motor , his vertical jump stat must be pretty impressive by watching those videos .  Lebron would have fun chasing him .

[Kuberski33]

I see this kid being another Ben Bentil/Marcus Thornton type pick that never sees the big league team. He gets here, plays with the team over the summer and into preseason, but never earns a contract.

I hate looking at college stats to assess a player in the draft, but that 28% turnover rate is hard to ignore.

Small school HS player moving to an SEC program like Alabama - that's a huge jump. He wouldn't be the first freshman guard to struggle his first year in college. The speed of the game requires an adjustment - and he's going to have another one going from Alabama to the NBA or G League. I'm not expecting him to set the hoop world on fire in Year 1.

[liam]

I wish Marcus had this dudes legs and motor , his vertical jump stat must be pretty impressive by watching those videos .  Lebron would have fun chasing him .

43 inches...

[vjcsmoke]

Wasted pick. Oh well

I don't know how you waste a pick with such minimal value anyways. It's like dropping a scratch ticket that could maybe win you $10.

Remind me where the reigning back-to-back MVP got drafted?

Beyond that outlier, there is obvious value in the 2nd round that our front office has punted down the toilet with such a random pick.

I don't know what he's going to be.  But it wasn't a random pick.  Celtics need to get more athletic at PG.  This kid was a 5 star high school recruit and if you watch his film he has good size and athleticism for the position - 6'3 and averaged 30 ppg, 12 rpg, and 5 apg in high school.  He was head and shoulders above his peers.  Now did he have an amazing single year of college at Alabama?  Nope, but that's why he's available in round 2.  As far as upside, this kid has a high ceiling.  Could easily never reach it, but 5 star recruits at age 19, that's worth something and doesn't appear random but a calculated risk by Brad Stevens.

Davison's initial scouting report out of high school, pro comps are Ja Morant or Russell Westbrook: https://247sports.com/Article/Scouting-JD-Davison-Alabama-Auburn-Kansas-LSU-Memphis-Michigan-152291655/

[ozgod]

Long time follower, rarely post. Been a Celtics fan since the late 90s, and that only intensified as I have gotten older. In my house, it's:
1) Alabama football
2) Celtics basketball

Anyway, enough about me, I only gave the background to provide a window of insight (alabama born and raised, still live here) that probably not many C's fans have.

Before this draft, knowing we only had a late 2nd, I hoped that maybe he would slip a little and we could trade up bcz I thought there was no way JD would fall to us. There should be NO (zero) hate with this pick. This guy was a big-time recruit, that came to UA with a ton of fanfare/upside potential. Much of our fan base clamored that he needed to come back another year to develop (probably true, but, his decision). The 2 biggest opposing arguments were that his game/skillset suits the nba better and that he's from letohatchee, which is basically the middle of nowhere. Both are true, and according to nate oats, one and done was the plan all along anyway.

Anyway, this guy had a few nagging injuries that limited him much of the season, but he was still the best athlete on the floor nearly every time out. He's never had to refine his game, bcz he's always been the best athlete in the gym. Hes always played hard and with grit, and everything points to him being committed to working hard. Speaking purely from the standpoint of development, he's the perfect fit for us and we're the perfect situation for him. Not saying he's gonna be an all nba guy, but there's not anyone else we could've gotten with his level of potential upside at such a low cost.

Playing against Marcus smart will be HUGE for JD, and he could definitely surprise us in the future. Hopeful for the best!

TP for your thoughts and welcome to the forum!

[liam]

Wasted pick. Oh well

I don't know how you waste a pick with such minimal value anyways. It's like dropping a scratch ticket that could maybe win you $10.

Remind me where the reigning back-to-back MVP got drafted?

Beyond that outlier, there is obvious value in the 2nd round that our front office has punted down the toilet with such a random pick.

I don't know what he's going to be.  But it wasn't a random pick.  Celtics need to get more athletic at PG.  This kid was a 5 star high school recruit and if you watch his film he has good size and athleticism for the position - 6'3 and averaged 30 ppg, 12 rpg, and 5 apg in high school.  He was head and shoulders above his peers.  Now did he have an amazing single year of college at Alabama?  Nope, but that's why he's available in round 2.  As far as upside, this kid has a high ceiling.  Could easily never reach it, but 5 star recruits at age 19, that's worth something and doesn't appear random but a calculated risk by Brad Stevens.

Davison's initial scouting report out of high school, pro comps are Ja Morant or Russell Westbrook: https://247sports.com/Article/Scouting-JD-Davison-Alabama-Auburn-Kansas-LSU-Memphis-Michigan-152291655/

Yeah, this was a crazy good value pick. We got a first round talent because he had a tough year in his first year in college. If he stayed for a second year he probably would've been a mid first rounder. His game is a lot like Ja and Russ. He has a lot to work on but there's a chance he becomes a useful player. At 53 you can't really ask for more than that.

[Redz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfgFGasEIEY&ab_channel=TomaszKordylewski

I made it 3 minutes in without seeing him take a shot outside the paint. 

Looks like a fun guy to watch.  Hope he develops.