Tag: Johnny Davis

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:

Former Badger commits to new school

Jordan Davis, who entered the transfer portal at the end of March, committed to play for Illinois State this upcoming season.

Former Badgers guard Jordan Davis, who entered the transfer portal at the end of March, announced Tuesday that he’s committed to play for Illinois State this upcoming season. Davis will officially leave Wisconsin after three seasons with Greg Gard’s team.

Davis and his twin brother Johnny committed to Wisconsin as a three-star recruits in 2019, both coming to Madison as top performers at La Crosse High School. While Johnny quickly blossomed into a star with the Badgers, Jordan had to earn his minutes as a role player off the bench.

Eventually earning and then relinquishing a starting role with Wisconsin following his brother’s departure to the NBA, Jordan Davis averaged 5.1 points and 3.5 rebounds this past season.

Considering how hard he played on the court and how he conducted himself off of it, there’s no reason to wish anything but the best for Davis with the Redbirds.

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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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Badgers in contact with class of 2025 guard from Texas

The Wisconsin men’s basketball staff has been in contact with Caleb Steger, a 6-foot-4 class of 2025 guard from Dallas, Texas.

The Wisconsin men’s basketball staff has been in contact with Caleb Steger, a 6-foot-4 class of 2025 guard from Dallas, Texas. The sophomore at Jesuit College Preparatory School has just started receiving interest from college programs, so the Badgers are potentially ahead of the curve.

Steger averaged 14.3 points and 4.7 rebounds over 24 games this past season, earning himself an offer from TCU in February, his only Division 1 offer to this point.

With Wisconsin already interested, they’ll have an opportunity to get him on campus for an official visit in the coming months if they want to pursue him as an option for the class of 2025. In recent years, the Wisconsin program under Greg Gard has churned out backcourt stars like Johnny Davis and Brad Davison.

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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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Wizards’ Johnny Davis explains how G League helped prepare him for NBA

Davis has played sparingly with the Wizards but has come on strong of late and is closing out his rookie campaign on a high note.

Johnny Davis has played sparingly this season with the Washington Wizards, but the 10th pick is closing his rookie campaign on a high note.

Davis produced 16 points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal in 37 minutes of work in a 114-108 win on Friday over the Miami Heat. He went 7-of-20 from the field, including 2-of-8 from 3-point range, in his fourth start of the season.

The performance was his fifth straight game scoring in double figures. He is posting 16.4 points, five rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.2 blocks and one steal over that stretch as the Wizards have prioritized playing time for their younger players with the season winding down.

Davis is enjoying his recent run on the court.

It is really fun being out there playing, especially against teams like Atlanta and Milwaukee with all of their starters in. It is a lot of fun being out there playing with them but at the same time, I’ve still gotta be composed and poised to try to go out there and win the game.

Davis has spent much of the season in the G League with the Capital City Go-Go, appearing in only 27 games with the Wizards. The team planned for him to be there in order to gain confidence on the court and develop with so many players ahead of him in the rotation this season.

He averaged 12 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals on 33.1% shooting from 3-point range in 32 games with the Go-Go. He produced two 20-point games, including a season-high 25 points on Feb. 27 against the Delaware Blue Coats.

Those minutes, he said, helped prepare him to play with the Wizards.

It helped a lot. Just being down there with those guys, playing a bigger role that I probably wouldn’t be playing with Brad (Beal), (Kristaps Porzingis), (Kyle) Kuzma and all of those guys in. The coaches down there did a really good job of showing me film every single day, making sure I’m understanding the pace of the game and developing the way I should.

With one game left to play, Davis looks to put up another strong effort heading into the offseason. He will spend much of it training and preparing for Year 2 with the Wizards. He is even open to playing in the Las Vegas Summer League.

“I think it is just another opportunity for me to develop my game and build a lot more confidence in myself,” Davis said.

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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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WATCH: Highlights from Johnny Davis’ first NBA start

WATCH: Highlights from Johnny Davis’ first NBA start

Johnny Davis made his first NBA start on Sunday, and finished with 16 points and six rebounds.

Davis may have had a slow start to his NBA career with the Washington Wizards, but he has taken advantage of opportunities late in the season.

Davis had standout creation reps, solid defensive plays, and scored in multiple ways for the Wizards. He has had a few viral highlights over the last few weeks as he has gotten more and more NBA time. Over the Wizards’ last few games, except the former Wisconsin star to be in the fold and gaining experience.

Check out the playmaking from the Wizards guard: