A.J. Davis – 2018-19 G-League Player Profile

June 20th, 2019

A.J. Davis

SF/PF – 6’9, 215lbs – Born 15th March 1995

   Delaware Blue Coats   

A.J. Davis is Antonio Davis’s son, but does not much play like him. Whereas Antonio was a bruising paint-based old school post-up type of player, A.J. is more about the perimeter game, the finesse, the handle and the shooting. He did at least inherit his father’s height, and that combined with the way he plays the game makes for an intriguing combination. After one year at Tennessee in which he recorded more fouls than points, Davis transferred to UCF for his final three college seasons, and joined the Blue Coats in his first professional season after a stint in Kosovo of all places.

Although he will sometimes play in the post, Davis is more of a face-up four man. His high-arcing jump shots do not much go in yet, but they figure to be a part of his game going forwards. As of right now, Davis likes to take quite a lot of turns on the ball and in isolation, with some body control and craft to get to the rim. However, what he does lack is the ability to finish at the basket when contested, easily disrupted by length and strength. He also can get a bit wild with the handle and tends to throw passes away. To be a finesse offensive player in this way, someone whose game is based on skill rather than power and in facing the basket rather than backing down to it, the skill level will need to be improved.

Davis does however have a big frame and good length, combined with a good level of mobility. He improved significantly as a defender over the course of his college career; initially a mistakeprone player with deer-in-headlights eyes frequently caught out looking, he became someone who learned to play with a good motor, crash the glass and compete.

Face-up fours are all the rage these days, so the fact that Davis chooses to play like one is not a bad thing. If he is to stick in the G-League, however, he will have to make more shots and tighten up his skill level. The competition for his spot from players similar to him but more advanced in their skill set is hot..

– 20th June, 2019

• This above is extracted from the following page in the The Basketball Manifesto, an entirely free 3,775 page, 1.2 million word-ish basketball reference book which contains reviews, strategies, ideas, opinions, and a whole lot of scouting on men’s world basketball.

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