NBA Comparison: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Strengths: A 6’5 190 SG/SF with the athleticism and wiry strong frame that project solidly for an NBA swingman…Runs the court hard and plays with an aggressive, confident mindset that bodes well looking at his potential on both ends at the NBA level…Nice transition player who is tough to contain when he has a head of steam on his way to the basket, being effective at both creating contact to draw fouls (over 6 FT a game on a solid 79% as a Soph.) and using his excellent body control to create space for driving lanes…Promising ability to post up smaller guards, is stronger than his size suggests and is skilled at using his shoulders to create space for turnaround jumpers…Looks good operating at the mid-range level, and is most confident as a shooter from about 15-18 ft…Pretty solid pull up jumper from the mid range…Is a factor in the dribble handoff & pick and roll game too, showing a nice rhythm pulling up off of 2 dribbles…Developing range and shotmaking ability, occasionally made defenders pay as a spot up shooter in the relatively few possessions he played off the ball..Put points on the board in a hurry (19 ppg) often for a team that played at a slow pace all season, and his emergence as a breakthrough player (over 12 ppg and 10 mpg increase from Fr to Soph season) is most impressive because of the amount of defensive attention he received as the year progressed…Projects to become a tough defender as well, where his competitive nature, solid fundamentals, and quick feet make him a nuisance on the ball currently…Impressed many college hoop observers with his willingness to guard the other teams best offensive wings regularly, even though he shouldered so much of an offensive load…Has enough of the twitchy athleticism and instincts needed to be a threat in the passing lanes (1.1 spg for his career), while also having quick reactions when contesting shots and recovering from getting around screens…Reads action instinctively and often diagnoses set plays before they unfold to force turnovers or bad shots…His nose for the ball and aggressiveness also shows itself on the boards, where Davis ranks among the very best in this class regardless of position statistically (8.2 rpg)…Somewhat of a late bloomer who has garnered experience both as a role player and go-to guy early in his prospect development, could be able to hang his hat in some playing roles that would allow him to contribute to an NBA rotation sooner than later while he refines other areas of his game…His massive improvements from his Fr to Soph season show that he is a hard-working player, while his ability to fight through late season injuries to help Wisconsin in conference and NCAA tourny games show his toughness and dedication to his team

Weaknesses: Was asked to be a go-to scorer last season out of necessity, but his aggressive nature overshadowed that he doesnt have the most natural feel for the game offensively…Posted no better than an even A/TO in both of his college seasons (2.1/2.3 this past season), and didnt show the necessary court vision, timing or willingness passing the ball to project well to the primary ball handler role he so often played in college…Shot selection needs to improve (42% FG), he has some struggles getting into the paint against athletic defenders and with finishing at the rim amongst the trees once there, which leads him to try numerous heavily contested shots off the bounce with mixed results (just 46% FG from inside the arc in his career)…Some will point to his late season ankle injury for his explosiveness and efficiency tailing off, and while it did contribute to it, he hasn’t really posted more than average production finishing at the basket even when fully healthy…More rangy than sudden as a slasher, relies more on angles and off balanced defenders to create separation than ball-handling or quickness…At times Davis dribbles too much when creating and is somewhat predictable with his moves, as teams started to successfully anticipate his stepback jumper more and more as the season went along…Can sometimes play into high IQ defenders hands by being overly physical when creating offense, and gets called for fouls using his off arm to create space at times…Had occasional good moments as a 3-point shooter off the dribble, and while his shot isn’t broken he was not an efficient shooter from beyond the arc as a Soph (30% 3FG) and endured a long shooting slump from deep through the last 2 months of the season…Has an average release speed on his shot that makes him project better as an off-ball set shooter from deep, and though he has been solid at it in his career (ex. he shot 38% 3FG on limited attempts as a Fr) he hasnt really been given many chances to show it due to being mostly an on-ball player…Will likely have to use his defense, athleticism and hustle to earn rotational minutes in the early stages of his career while he polishes his offensive skills and learns certain nuances of the game (ie picking his spots and playing to his strengths offensively)

Overall: Johnny Davis’ ascension from a bench player as a Fr to a consensus All American contributor as a Soph has him solidified as a high 1st round prospect currently…After winning a gold medal last summer in the FIBA U19 games, Davis used the momentum from that experience to get off to a scorching hot start to the 2021-2022 season that saw him raise his draft stock into Top 5 discussion in the first months of the season after lukewarm discussion about him as a 2022 prospect prior…He became by far the go-to guy offensively on a defensive-minded, methodical Wisconsin squad and put the team on his back & the college hoops world on notice with some huge performances, most notably in a win against 3rd ranked Purdue where Davis had 37 pts and 14 rebs and often matched up against; and got the better of, fellow projected 2022 lottery pick guard Jaden Ivey…Davis is a player with a football background, and it shows in his physical, aggressive nature on the court as well as his willingness to play through nagging injuries…He really competes and his increased production and role shows that he’s willing to work hard…His role at the next level projects to be different than in college, as he seems likely to play more off the ball as a wing at the next level and not as a true primary or secondary playmaker for himself and others…His potential as a prospect is largely tied to his ability to improve his consistency and range as a shooter and working on his shot selection…He seemed to wear down somewhat at the end of this past season due to a combination of injuries, big minutes and true 2-way responsibilities as the main scorer and best defensive player on his team…He could very well improve his efficiency and effectiveness with less of a burden to carry and more talented teammates in the future, and he has the toughness and intangibles to find a niche as a role player until his other offensive skills get more refined …

Jorrye Nixon 5/5/22

Strengths: Shooting guard with solid all around skill and understanding … Davis is capable of driving to the basket with either hand and finishes well around the rim with both hands … Crafty slasher who is deadly in the midrange and showcases a variety of post-scoring moves … Excellent shooter from all three levels with a 44/34/86 shooting split through ten games of his sophomore season … One of, if not the most, improved players in all of college basketball … Averaging 21 points per game for Wisconsin after averaging only 7 as a freshman … Outstanding intangibles and leadership skills … Big shot maker who never backs down from big moments … Great rebounding guard who averages more than 6 boards per game … Improving as a playmaker and passer every game and does a good job limiting turnovers despite his high usage rate (2.3 AST, 1.9 TO) … 34% three-point shooter with four attempts per game. Can knock down threes off the dribble or spotting up, but mostly creates for himself as the primary ball-handler without playmaking guards around him … Can flourish in any role, but his development as a star this year is putting him into lottery discussion … Physical, aggressive defender who can guard 1-4 and disrupt passing lanes off the ball. Currently averaging 1.6 steals per game which is fourth in the Big Ten … Easy to notice his long arms with his disruption and ability to alter and block shots as a guard with nearly a block per game … Moves very well laterally defensively to stay in front of defenders and avoid foul trouble. His fouls per 40 minutes are down from 3.5 to 1.6 this season … Could flourish as a 3-and-D guard early in his career before embracing his current role as a shot-creator with more development and bulkier frame … High potential player who is just starting to scratch the surface of his skill set …

Weaknesses: Lacks ideal size at 6’5 for a shooting guard, but we’ve seen more players with this size find success in the league in recent years … Doesn’t always create a lot of space for himself on jumpers, but gets away with making contested jumpers against smaller defenders … Solid athlete with good wingspan, however … Doesn’t always appear to create separation against top level athletes. Speed remains one of his biggest question marks … Lacks elite level lateral speed … Needs to continue to improve as a playmaker and not just as a scorer off the dribble … Good, but not great athleticism, which raises concerns again about creating space for himself and also guarding top-level NBA guards …  A/TO ratio is just 1-1, so he can stand to improve his passing, ball handling and decision making to become a more well rounded shooting guard …

Outlook: Recently emerged as a top player in the nation, which could be a simple hot streak that could fizzle out or a true indication of his development this summer … Though the first half of the season is on pace to be a lottery pick …

Notes: Averaging 20.9 PTS, 6.1 REB, 2.3 AST, 1.6 STL as a sophomore at Wisconsin … McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school … 2020 Wisconsin Mr. Basketball … Helped the USA win FIBA U19 World Cup in the Summer of 2021. Averaged 4.1 PTS and 1.7 REB at the World Cup … All-time leading scorer at Central High School (2,158 points)

Derek Bast 1/2/22

Notes: Measured: 6’4.25” barefoot, 6’5.75” in shoes, 8’7.50” standing reach, 196.4 lbs, 6’8.50” wingspan at the 2022 NBA Draft Combine …