Why not JD Davison as our Point Guard?

[footey]

Honestly, with everyone clamoring for a trade to get a point guard, why not JD?

He averaged nearly 9 assists a game in G League, against less than 3 turnovers.  This in low 30 minutes. Last month of G League his assists per game went to 9.7.  He is definitely a pass first point guard. His shooting is getting better. He has shot nearly 80% from free throw line, so projects to get even better.  He is probably the best athlete on our squad, except JB, has good court vision, and really moves the pace of the ball, causing us to play fast.  Smart, and Brogdon, and especially Tatum, slow the pace down when they bring up to set plays.   We need to play faster, and more unselfishly. 

Looking forward to his play in summer league.

https://basketball.realgm.com/player/JD-Davison/D-League/151480

[gouki88]

Because there's no guarantee he can do so capably at the NBA level.

[footey]

Because there's no guarantee he can do so capably at the NBA level.

Yeah, but kid has the qualities I’m looking for. Hope he is given opportunity and takes advantage. Do you like his game?

[KG Living Legend]

 I do like what I have seem of him.  Nba level athlete for sure, but we really haven't seen anything at the pro level. Would love to see him get minutes.

 The more I think about it, I think Brad has been preparing for a Smart trade for years now.

[tonydelk]

This kid has been practicing with the team for a year now.  If they felt he could be a rotational guard he'd have been signed already.  I imagine they want him on a 2 way contract then to the big club next year after PP leaves.  Replacing PP's spot and salary with a lower salaried player who should hopefully at that time be able to replace his production.  That's a more likely goal then heavy minutes at PG. 

[gouki88]

Because there's no guarantee he can do so capably at the NBA level.

Yeah, but kid has the qualities I’m looking for. Hope he is given opportunity and takes advantage. Do you like his game?

I think having him as 3rd string is probably the way to go for now.

There are aspects of his game I like. Athleticism is obvious, and he’s a willing passer. If he can become one of those players who utilises his athleticism to enhance his playmaking he’ll have a place for a long time. Shooting concerns me, especially for a small, but there’s no pressure on him to hurry with White, Brogdon & PP all ahead of him

[footey]

Scouting Report on him in NBADraft.net from college:

Strengths: A truly breathtaking athlete, Davison looks like he bounces off a trampoline when he skies to the rim … Smooth in transition, with great body control to pair with his vertical … Flashes a wide array of moves to evade defenders around the rim, and usually makes the right play while going full speed … Also possesses tremendous speed, creating breakaway chances on offense, and allowing him to help slow down transition chances for the opposing team … Only 19 years old, Davison has time to develop further, and become more of a true point guard instead of just a dynamic athlete … Solid passer, and can make some highlight reel passes … Has a smooth and quick release on three-point shots, and takes off-the-dribble threes with ease…Hustles for boards despite his smaller stature (6’3, 195lbs.) … Over 45% of his shots come at the rim, meaning the former five-star recruit understands his best strength is getting to the basket … Unselfish and lightning quick, Davison can be almost impossible from staying in front of, and when defenses rotate, he can pick out the open teammate … Feisty on ball defender, the freshman grabbed a steal per game.

Weaknesses: Davison needs to develop a reliable outside shot to be a useful offensive weapon … Made just 30% of his threes, 33% of his mid-range jumpers and 72% of his free throws … Decision making still has a long ways to go … Turns the ball over way too much, with 2.9 per game this season, including six in the loss in the NCAA tournament to Notre Dame … Because of his size and lack of consistent shooting, Davison is not fit to play off the ball, or cover anyone but the opposing point guard … The lack of versatility on both ends of the court allows the coaching staff less flexibility when creating game plans … Struggles guarding off the ball, and can have mental lapses … Davison will need to add strength to be physically similar to other guards…Has trouble getting around picks, which can lead to easy layups or over-rotations from the big man … Sometimes gets hunted as the preferred option to score against…Ceiling seems like an attacking force of the bench, and may struggle to score in the half court for a few years.

[footey]

Report last Feb from Boston.com:

Davison leads all NBA two-way players in assists per game with 8.8, more than twice as many as he averaged in college. With 145 total assists against 49 turnovers, his assist-to-turnover ratio is 2.96.

“I just think he’s doing a really good job getting into the paint,” Maine Celtics coach Alex Barlow said. “In high school and college, when you get into the paint it’s a little bit easier to score than it is at this level. He could just jump over dudes pretty easily at that level and finish. Here, guys are a step quicker, so as he’s getting into the paint someone is rotating over a step quicker than they were in college or high school, so someone else is open.”

Davison has always been able to read defenses and see the floor well, but one of the main pre-draft questions around his game was if he’d be able to put it all together consistently so that his game would translate efficiently in the NBA.

So far at the G League level, he’s shown that consistency hasn’t been much of an issue. Among the G League’s top-five assist leaders, Davison has the second-fewest amount of turnovers at 2.6 per game. He’s helped lead the Maine Celtics to a league-best offensive rating of 119.4. And he’s shooting 51.8 percent from the field.

“I think the game is slowing down for him,” Baldwin said. “When he first started he was doing well also, but once you get in the system playing in the G League, you learn the speed of the game and things start slowing down for you. I feel like he’s seeing things before they happen. He’s making the right reads and people are getting easy shots because of it.”

Barlow pointed out that Davison is getting hard-earned assists in the half-court offense instead of just in transition, a sign of his ability to run the offense and create open looks for others.

“There’s not many guys that can just blow by dudes like he does,” Barlow said. “As he continues to grow and get more reps and experience, he’s going to get really good at being like this is a kick, this is a finish, this is ‘oh I’m in the paint nobody’s open, I’m going to keep dribbling it out and then I play.’ He’s made a lot of strides in that area.”

[smokeablount]

I like what I’ve seen from Davison. But he can’t be relied upon this year unless injuries happen and he proves himself by accident and by necessity.

[SHAQATTACK]

Gotta put him in the game to see what he can do.

[hwangjini_1]

Because there's no guarantee he can do so capably at the NBA level.

Yeah, but kid has the qualities I’m looking for. Hope he is given opportunity and takes advantage. Do you like his game?

i do not like him shooting 3 pointers at a 31.7% rate last season in the g league. with the celtics he shot 28.6% from 3 point land.

the celtics are aiming at a championship. having a starting point guard with 12 games played in the nba and is 20 years old. i don't see much in his resume that screams "nba starter on a championship team."

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Not yet, but I'm monitoring him.

[Atzar]

JD has to prove that he's an NBA-level player before he's counted on for anything.  I like the kid, but he hasn't done that yet.

If he has a strong year and contributes when called upon, this is a conversation we can certainly have next off-season.

[Celtics2021]

I agree he needs to prove himself a bit, but I admit I’d like to not acquire a fourth PG ahead of him in the rotation.  Three is enough so he can get some minutes if we’re down a couple of players.  At least give him the chance to prove himself — he may have a lot to work on, but he also has a lot to work with.

[BASS_THUMPER]

Mad respect for JD Davidson

from ALABAMA



and wears green well




*sippin*