Category: Badgers in NBA

How To Watch: Two Badgers in Summer League

The 2023 NBA Summer League is underway and two former Badger men’s basketball players are suiting up for their respective teams.

The 2023 NBA Summer League is underway and two former Badger men’s basketball players are suiting up for their respective teams. Hosted in Las Vegas, both second-year guard Johnny Davis (Wizards) and third-year forward Micah Potter (Jazz) are in action.

Davis was selected 10th overall by Washington in the 2022 NBA Draft and he is set for an expanded role in the team’s offense in year two after the departures of Bradley Beal (PHX) and Kristaps Porzingis (BOS).

Potter went undrafted in 2021 and he’ll be entering his second year with Utah’s organization, looking to carve out a larger role for himself in 2023.

 

Three former Badgers can be seen during NBA Summer League action

Johnny Davis isn’t the only former Badger playing in the Summer League this year

The Wisconsin basketball program has not necessarily been a high-level producer of NBA players over the last decade. Several players have made it and stuck around, but few are at that level making a significant impact.

The program currently has two graduates in the league: Washington Wizards guard Johnny Davis and Utah Jazz forward Micah Potter. Of note, Potter is currently on a two-way contract with the Jazz and the NBA G League’s Salt Lake City Stars.

With the month of July comes the aftermath of the most recent NBA Draft and the NBA Summer League. The latter provides a golden opportunity for players like Potter who are working to find a permanent spot on an NBA roster.

For Badgers fans out there, these are the three Wisconsin products that will take part in the Summer League action this moth:

Micah Potter suits up for the Utah Jazz in 2023 NBA Summer League

The former Badger is back in Summer League

Micah Potter’s 2023 NBA Summer League campaign is already underway as the two-way signee played his first game for the Utah Jazz in the Salt Lake City Summer League on Monday night.

Potter had 10 points and 8 rebounds in just over 30 minutes of action as the Jazz took on the Oklahoma City Thunder in each team’s Summer League debut on Monday.

The former Badger will continue on to Las Vegas with Utah this weekend as one of two former Wisconsin basketball players in Summer League. Johnny Davis will also suit up for the Washington Wizards this weekend in Las Vegas.

Potter appeared in seven games last season for the Jazz, playing just over 7 minutes per contest.

WATCH: Johnny Davis mic’d up at Wizards’ practice

With the Wizards hitting the “reset” button in 2023-2024, second-year guard and former Badger Johnny Davis could be set for a larger role.

With the Washington Wizards seemingly hitting the “reset” button in 2023-2024, second-year guard and former Badger Johnny Davis could be set for an increased workload. Both Bradley Beal (Suns) and Kristaps Porzingis (Celtics) were dealt, leaving behind a combined 46.4 points per game to be filled.

Davis didn’t really come on until the final weeks of his rookie campaign in Washington, but he was impressive down the stretch. He averaged 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks over 36 minutes per game while starting the final five contests of the regular season.

Now in a position where there isn’t a great amount of established players around him, Davis will look to take the next step up in 2023.

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Former Badger guard set for expanded role in sophomore season

With the 2023 NBA Draft taking place Thursday night, one roster that is undergoing a complete rebuild is the Washington Wizards.

With the 2023 NBA Draft taking place Thursday night at 7PM CT on ESPN, many teams are looking to shake up their rosters. One roster in particular that is undergoing a complete rebuild is the Washington Wizards. Former Badger Johnny Davis could be set for a massive uptick in usage in his second year in the league.

Both Bradley Beal (Suns) and Kristaps Porzingis (Celtics) have been dealt to new teams and Davis will be amongst those that can be expected to pick up the slack after their departures. Both players, Beal and Porzingis, averaged 23.2 points per game in 2022, leaving a combined 66.4 PPG to be replaced.

Johnny Davis, although he had his struggles with injuries and consistency, came into his own down the stretch. After being selected 10th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft following a two-year career at Wisconsin, the 6-foot-4 guard proved himself late in his rookie campaign.

Over the final eight games, Davis saw his role expand with Washington, averaging 14.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.8 blocks while playing 32.6 minutes per contest. That stretch included starting the Wizards’ final five games and Davis truly arrived as both an offensive and defensive asset.

Badger fans will always root for their former star in Davis that averaged 23.7 PPG in 2021-2022, leading Wisconsin to a 25-8 record and winning Big Ten Player of the Year.

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WATCH: Johnny Davis reveals his favorite moment of rookie season

WATCH: Johnny Davis reveals his favorite moment of rookie season

If you followed Johnny Davis’ strong close to the season for the Washington Wizards, you can probably guess his favorite moment.

Davis had an expanded role late in the year, and averaged 17 points per game over five games in April. One of those games included the best highlight of his rookie campaign.

In a late-season loss to Milwaukee, Davis was able to catch one of the NBA’s best defenders at the rim with a ferocious slam. He threw it down on Jrue Holiday, and finished that April 4th contest with 20 points on 9-17 shooting from the field. Here is Davis on that play in his own words:

WATCH: Look back at rookie season of Johnny Davis

Johnny Davis just wrapped up his rookie season with the Washington Wizards, averaging 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.

Johnny Davis just wrapped up his rookie season with the Washington Wizards, averaging 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. Those numbers don’t really speak to how he finished the season though.

Over the last eight games of the season, Davis averaged an impressive 14.6 points per game while compiling 5.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.8 blocks over 32.6 minutes per contest.

With the rookie having to navigate the birth of his first child and the start of his professional career, it did take him a little while to click in the league, let alone the fact that he had a lower-body injury early in the campaign.

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Moving forward, Davis should see an expanded role in 2023-2024 and with a roster that also includes Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma, Washington will look to make the playoffs next season.

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Johnny Davis finishes rookie season on a tear

Johnny Davis finally got a shot to show off his talents as the Wizards’ season was coming to a close, putting up some impressive stats.

Johnny Davis finally got a shot to show off his talents as the Wizards’ season was coming to a close, putting up some impressive stats in the last six games.

Over that stretch, Davis made three starts while averaging 14.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 blocks. The former Big Ten Player of the Year proved why he was a top-10 selection in the 2022 NBA Draft.

It took a while for Davis to click in the NBA, starting the year on and off of the court with a hip injury, but he now appears to be ready to flex his muscles as a professional athlete moving forward.

With the Wizards struggling to find any sort of consistent success on the court from season to season, Davis could end up stepping right into a significant role in his sophomore campaign next year. Outside of Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, Washington leaves much to be desired.

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Johnny Davis has been on a tear to end his rookie season

The Badger rookie has been at his best late in the season

With a number of normal starters sidelined near the end of the year, former Big Ten Player of the Year Johnny Davis has stepped up for the Washington Wizards.

The No. 10 pick in the 2022 NBA draft got off to a rocky start during his first year in the association. He spent a good amount of time with the Wizards’ G League affiliate, but he has shown glimpses of who he was as a Badger.

Slow starts are nothing new for Davis; it wasn’t until his second year at Wisconsin that he blossomed into one of the nation’s best players.

Here is a look at the rookie’s recent stretch of performances in a newly increased role. Check out his last four games:

Watch: Johnny Davis with highlight dunk on career night

Johnny Davis continued his hot stretch Tuesday, scoring a career-high 20 points in the Wizards’ 140-128 loss to the Bucks.

Johnny Davis continued his hot stretch Tuesday, scoring a career-high 20 points in the Wizards’ 140-128 loss to the Bucks. Davis remained in the starting lineup for a second game in a row, increasing his production once again, also adding five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks over 37 minutes.

The former Badger has been seeing his playing time increase recently as the Wizards continue to deal with injuries in their backcourt and he hasn’t disappointed. The rookie has compiled 36 points over his two starts and could possibly remain in the lineup for Washington’s last three games.

Part of his massive performance was a spectacular dunk over Jrue Holiday, which can be seen below:

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