It's been a few years since Wisconsin basketball became a household name in college basketball. One would go back to 2015 to find the last Wisconsin player who was drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft. The trend is nearing an end, thanks to superstar Johnny Davis.
Wisconsin basketball's Johnny Davis is projected to move to 7th place overall in the latest ESPN mock draft.
At the start of the season, Johnny Davis attracted a lot of people. While Badgers fans certainly knew about Davis after watching him last season, he was not a name commonly recognized nationally.
Many college basketball fans now know Davis as one of the best players in college basketball, and NBA fans will know his name as well. Davis is projected to move to 7th place overall in the 2022 NBA Draft in the latest ESPN mock draft.
Davis began the 2021–2022 season, and it was only then that Badgers fans began to realize that his departure to the NBA would be a real possibility after this season. Even though Davis still has the option of returning to Wisconsin if he chooses to do so next season, it will be hard to blame if he wants to take his game to the next level as quickly as possible.
This season, Davis has shown that he has all the tools to become a major player in the NBA. It is no surprise to see that his draft stock has grown substantially over the past few months due to his prowess.
Probably the only reason Davis is out of the top-5 in this draft is because of his ball handling. His handling of the ball isn't necessarily bad, but it's not as good as some other players in his position. That area of his game will have plenty of time to grow, as Davis will only be 20 at the time of the NBA draft this summer. Even with his ball handling in need of some patch ups, every other part of Davis' game is already NBA ready, and that's why he is seen as such an exciting prospect. Is.
There are few players who bring Davis to both sides of the game. Everyone's noticed that Davis has had some offensive blasts in games this year, but that shouldn't be deterred by what Davis brings on the defensive. Davis has the athleticism to keep up with his man, the lateral speed and good competition on shots. Furthermore, Davis has a knack for the board and averages 8.3 rebounds per game, which is a huge number for a player of his size.
One of the truly underrated things about Davis is that he doesn't get easily bothered by hordes of opposing teams. Being able to play in a hostile environment is a skill that will be useful to Davis when he decides to jump to the next level.
Davis has actually played some of his best basketball this season when the Badgers have been away from the Kohl Center. This year the best game of the season for Davis came at McKay Arena, a place Wisconsin has historically struggled with. Davis scored 37 points and made big plays all game to help the Badgers eventually get over the hump at Purdue.
He hit the road again against Indiana, scoring the team's final 13 points and preparing them for victory in the assembly hall. Playing his best ball on the road is something even few NBA players struggle with, so it's a good sign that Davis has that skill even before he enters the league.
Johnny Davis is Wisconsin basketball's best player in a long time. It can be a bit difficult for fans to say goodbye to Davis so soon. His father has said in the past that Davies aims to be selected in the top 5 of the draft, so we may have a very small grain of hope that he will return.