With the NBA draft being a few weeks away, teams continue to host prospects for workouts and interviews. In my last article, I talked about possible landing spots for Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis after the draft lottery. However, more recently Johnny has moved up some analysts’ mock drafts and has some new possible teams interested.
Indiana Pacers
In a recent Sports Illustrated mock draft, a new team appeared for possibly drafting Johnny Davis and it makes a lot of sense. This mock had Johnny going to Indiana with the sixth pick in the draft. Indiana has been in a weird state of their franchise the last few years. Being on the outside of the playoffs and any real contention to also being right outside the lottery and earning a top pick. This year however they made some great moves for their franchise. Trading away Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento for young star guard Tyrese Haliburton.
Taking Johnny at six would make sense for the Pacers if both Jaden Ivey and Keegan Murray are off the board. If this is the case, Johnny Davis is not a bad pick at all for Indiana. A backcourt of Johnny and Haliburton would be electric. Halliburton has shown his shotmaking ability and even elite playmaking since being traded. Not to mention his 6’5 frame, that would be a tall and long backcourt. Johnny brings a level of maturity, work ethic, and competitive drive that the Pacers have shown to value in recent drafts. Chris Duarte was their pick in last years draft, which was not received well by critics. Receiving a lot of low grades after the draft, Duarte proved to be a great pick that gave them minutes right away. I could see the same exact thing happening if the Pacers go with Davis.
Detroit Pistons
Another new team that may have their eye on Johnny Davis is the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons started their first day of draft preview coverage and first to be in the spotlight was Johnny. I haven’t heard many rumblings about Davis to Detroit, but I think it could be a great fit. If the Pistons didn’t see a right pick at number five, they could certainly move back and still get Johnny Davis.
Today is the first day of our #Pistons @NBADraft preview and we're focusing on this year's lottery prospects! 🏀
First up, Johnny Davis from @BadgerMBB@Keith_Langlois' article 🗞: https://t.co/oo8rWvq6JX pic.twitter.com/mZvgCkTp6U
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) June 6, 2022
Detroit has focused on their backcourt in the last few drafts. Taking Killian Hayes from Germany in 2020, and with the number one overall pick Cade Cunningham in last years draft. Cunningham had a fantastic rookie year, and even with Hayes struggles, he is becoming a solid backup Point Guard. Add in guys like Saban Lee, Cassius Stanley, and Hamidou Diallo, the Pistons have a cluster of young guys to make up their front court. I think Johnny could be a legitimate starting shooting guard for them that would pair with Cunningham better then you would expect. Cade is an all-around guard who likes to get other involved. Johnny could provide some scoring and defense to the mix. Much like Indiana, Cunningham and Davis would be a lengthy backcourt which could cause mismatches.
Washington Wizards
One team that has continued to be linked with Davis is the Washington Wizards. Again, a lot of this relies on all-star guard Bradley Beal. If the Wizards get the idea that Beal may be on his way out, they will pounce on Davis if he’s available at the tenth pick. Washington was also the first pre-draft workout we have seen Davis complete for a team.
"I only get to go through this once in my entire life, my entire career."
📽️ Johnny Davis from @BadgerMBB visited us for a pre-draft workout earlier today. pic.twitter.com/znazTYUpiA
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) June 3, 2022
I’m excited to see Johnny complete more workouts for teams. As the next few weeks unfold, we will get a better understanding of teams that have a serious interest in Davis. One thing to note, Johnny looked fairly comfortable behind the NBA three-point line. I understand it is in practice with no-one around, but that has been the one concern for Davis heading into the draft. If he continues to impress behind the line, I see many teams becoming more interested in the Badger star.
Here's a look at the end of Johnny Davis' solo workout for the Washington Wizards. In this video, he's draining 3s. pic.twitter.com/Xplzq7CNl2
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) June 2, 2022
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