Wizards’ Johnny Davis Explains How G League Helped Prepare Him For NBA

Johnny Davis has played sparingly this season with the Washington Wizards, but the 10th pick has come on strong of late and is closing out 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 only 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 just one game left to play, Davis will look 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 and 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.