Second-year Wizards shooting guard Johnny Davis, the 10th pick out of Wisconsin in the 2022 draft, is hoping to make a bigger impact this year than he did as a rookie. While on a lottery-bound Washington team, Davis struggled to crack the club’s rotation for much of the year, ultimately averaging 5.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 1.0 APG in just 28 contests.
Now, Josh Robbins of The Athletic takes stock of how rival scouts feel about the 6’5″ swingman’s NBA future.
“He’s going to have a little bit more of an intense light on him this year just from an evaluation standpoint because the team’s shifted,” one scout said. “It’s not any of his fault or anything, but he’s going to have to prove that he’s ready to play this year quicker than maybe incrementally getting better and showing progress just because everyone’s going to be a little bit under the gun there.”
“In college, I think he was really competitive, really sure of himself, really assertive on the court,” another scout observed. “He got to his spots, got to situations where he could be impactful and effective. He competed on both ends. And certainly early on (in the NBA), it just seemed like for whatever reason, he didn’t have that same level of confidence, and that impacted him overall.”
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- Rumored to be a suitor for the veteran forward, the Heat did not make a major push for the services of Kelly Oubre in free agency, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports (Twitter link). Oubre instead signed a minimum contract with the Sixers earlier this week. An athletic 6’7″ wing, Oubre averaged a career-best 20.3 PPG last season with the Hornets, along with 5.2 RPG, 1.4 SPG and 1.1 APG.
- Heat training camp invitee Justin Champagnie is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Miami forward Caleb Martin as an unheralded twin wing making an outsized impact on a playoff hopeful, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Caleb Martin’s twin brother Cody Martin has firmly established himself as a key role player for the Hornets. Champagnie’s twin brother Julian Champagnie, meanwhile, is a developing talent with the Spurs. “We talk about basketball a lot,” Justin said of his brother. “He’ll come tell me about his, and I’ll tell him about mine.” The 6’6″ forward isn’t guaranteed a roster spot, but could force the Heat’s hand with a strong training camp and preseason. “It’s good knowing you actually have an opportunity to make the team or get a two-way, to kick-start your career,” Champagnie said. “And that makes you work harder.”
- In case you missed it, trade talks between the Heat and Trail Blazers for Portland All-Star Damian Lillard remain at something of an impasse.