Celtics take Alabama point guard JD Davison with the No. 53 pick of the 2022 NBA

Davison will take time to develop, but the payoff could be big.

The Boston Celtics used their No. 53 pick in the 2022 NBA draft to pick up Alabama point guard JD Davison, a 6-foot-3, 190 llbs. floor general with a g-foot-7 wingspan who is especially adept at moving the ball and rebounding with solid defensive skills to boot. “He’s a guy we’ve seen all year long,” said Celtics team president Brad Stevens after the draft concluded Thursday.

While there are questions about his long-distance shot given he shot just 30.1% from beyond the arc in his sole season with Alabama. The Latohatchee, Alabama native put up 8.5 points, 4.8 boards, 4.3 assists, 1.0 steal, and 0.4 blocks per game at his hometown school, turning the ball over 2.9 times and fouling 1.2 times per contest.

And though Davison’s 3-point shooting is not so great outside of catch-and-shoot treys he hit at a 37% rate, he did shoot 46.3% from the floor overall and a solid 72.8% from the charity stripe with 2.5 such trips per game.

Alabama’s Mr. Basketball two years running, Davison was a five-star recruit going into college with a sizzling first step and deceptive athleticism.

He is also an incredibly raw prospect who will likely spend much if not all of his rookie season with the Maine Celtics, as he will need a lot of time to season his game as alluded to by Stevens.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

[mm-video type=video id=01g65nk51t6s0jzg8esx playlist_id=01eqbzegwgnrje4tv2 player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g65nk51t6s0jzg8esx/01g65nk51t6s0jzg8esx-73151f5e8a79c88fcf676d6547189aad.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=104821,104806,104804,104707]

[listicle id=104720]

[listicle id=104760]

[listicle id=104711]