Wisconsin star Johnny Davis made his NBA Summer League debut tonight in Las Vegas. Johnny was selected 10th overall in the NBA draft by the Washington Wizards. A familiar foe awaited Davis in the desert tonight, former Purdue star Jaden Ivey who was selected 5th by the Detroit Pistons. Davis and Ivey had their share of battles last season, with Johnny dominating one of the matchups scoring 37 in a game at Purdue. Here are some takeaways from Johnnys first taste of NBA action.
Slow Start
A slow start for Johnny saw him attempt no shots in the first quarter. Johnny did however have a sweet left handed dime for a dunk. When Johnny finally attempted his first shot, he knocked down a smooth runner in the lane just like we saw him do so many times last season.
Johnny Davis went to work off the dribble for his first #NBASummer bucket!
Live Now on ESPN 2 pic.twitter.com/tto3qbWwVM
— NBA (@NBA) July 9, 2022
At the half, Johnny was just 1/4 overall from the field but didn’t look terrible. A few times he got to the paint with ease but ended up dumping off a pass or kicking out. I would have liked to seem him be more aggressive on those drives.
Washington Wizards’ President of Basketball Ops joined the ESPN crew and spoke about Johnny during the second half. An interesting point he made was how much time Johnny will have to work through the ups and downs thanks to all the vets surrounding him. Especially, someone like Bradley Beal who Johnny Davis has been compared to.
Shooting Struggles
Johnny finished just 1/9 from the field. Surely not what he had hoped for in his debut, but it is simply the first game of summer league. He still pulled in five boards and went 4/4 from the free throw line. I would like to see him shoot some more threes and open looks he passed up on tonight. Johnny settled for a lot of tough contested mid range shots. No need to overreact, even thought that is what sports fans do the best, Johnny will be back at it on Monday and look for him to have a bounce back game.
Follow me on Twitter @gamble_griffin3 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics to keep up with Johnny Davis’ journey in the summer league. Click below to read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports! Also, check out our merch store for some amazing WSH merchandise!
