RJ Davis Plays His Best Game in Summer League Finale

RJ Davis showed flashes of his days in Chapel Hill in the Los Angeles Lakers' final Summer League game against the Denver Nuggets (former Tar Heel Cam Johnson's new team) on Friday, July 18. The White Plains, New York native scored 17 points and had three assists, shooting 6/11 from the field and making three out of his five attempts from beyond the arc.

Davis, tied with former Syracuse Orange Cole Swider (who recorded 36 points inside the Dean Dome during the 2021-2022 season against North Carolina), had 17 as well. However, the Nuggets came out on top, winning by double-digits, 106-64. Denver was led by former Iowa State guard Curtis Jones, who had 22 points and five rebounds, shooting 9/16 from the field

The Lakers' NBA Summer League roster was headlined by Bronny James, LeBron James' oldest son (has another son, Bryce James).

Davis' Exhibit 10 contract gives him the chance to play with the Lakers' G League team, the South Bay Lakers, if he does not end up on the NBA roster. While the once Archbishop Stepinac High School guard did not have his game consistently, the opportunity to rise above the competition and potentially earn a standard NBA contract is up for grabs.

He ended his junior year by being named the ACC Player of the Year. That same season, he averaged 21.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 42.8% from the field, 39.8% from the three-point line, and 87.3% at the charity stripe (finished as UNC's leader in free throw percentage, shooting 86.4% across his five years).

Although he spent a lot more time than the usual prospect in college, there's still plenty of time for him to have a successful NBA career. His scoring abilities, ball-handling, and IQ will serve him well. However, Davis' size presents a disadvantage, especially on the defensive end against the taller and lengthier guards the league holds today.

One year with Roy Williams, and four years with Hubert Davis, Davis brings a wide variety of knowledge on the game of basketball after his time at Chapel Hill. Not to mention that he was 20 minutes away from winning a national championship back in 2022; however, that's all in the past now, and he is on to the next chapter, where the NBA lies ahead.

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