Wisconsin sophomore guard and projected lottery selection Johnny Davis will enter the draft and hire an agent, he told ESPN’s Malika Andrews on NBA Today on Thursday.
“After taking some time off and discussing everything with my family and coaches, I have decided to pursue a lifelong dream by declaring for the NBA draft with the intent of hiring an agent,” Davis said, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony relays.
Davis is No. 9 on ESPN’s Best Available list. He was under the radar heading into the season but moved into the spotlight with some big offensive performances. He was named Big Ten Player of the Year and a consensus All-American after averaging 19.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 34 minutes.
One cause for pause is that the 6-foot-5 Davis knocked down only 30.6% of his three-point attempts.
He also struggled in postseason play, shooting 27.2% in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. However, that shouldn’t prevent him from getting serious consideration as a top-10 pick. He was hampered by an ankle injury this month.
“I wasn’t 100%, but I felt confident that If I played, we still had a great chance of winning the Big Ten Conference tournament as well as advancing in the NCAA tournament,” Davis said. “I wanted to be out there with my guys to give it everything I had.”
He also showed dramatic improvement from his freshman campaign, when he averaged 7.0 points in 24.3 minutes per game as a reserve.
“Coach [Greg] Gard and my teammates believed in me and gave me the confidence and opportunity to have a much larger role than my freshman season,” Davis said.
Davis believes his game is well-suited for the next level.
“I know the pace and style of play in the NBA is different, but I think that suits my skill set extremely well,” Davis said. “My ability to get by my defender, athleticism and strength to finish at the rim, and being a three-level scorer combined with added spacing in the NBA will give me the opportunity to be successful.”
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