Washington Wizards: Johnny Davis needs to reinvent himself as a defensive specialist
By Cem Yolbulan
As the Washington Wizards continue their Summer League journey in Las Vegas, we are gathering more information on the young Wizards and their strengths and weaknesses. The results of these games may not matter, but seeing what each player is capable of in an expanded role does matter significantly. All eyes were on two lottery picks for the Wizards this summer; Bilal Coulibaly and Johnny Davis. Despite taking forward strides, Davis hasn’t erased question marks about his offensive capabilities with his performance this summer. This may be an opportunity for Davis to switch up his playing style.
Johnny Davis was drafted 10th overall last year because of his two-way potential. He could play both guard positions, handle the ball, and create scoring chances for himself while being a strong, solid defender. The offensive part of his game hasn’t developed to the best of the Wizards’ hopes and expectations. Yet, his defense is still promising for Davis to carve out a role for himself.
Johnny Davis’ offensive game hasn’t flourished yet
Davis struggles to create efficient shots on offense. He doesn’t get enough separation from his defender and he doesn’t have elite athleticism and length to finish in traffic. The shots he creates inside the arc are usually low-percentage shots, bringing down his overall efficiency. And he is not a good three-point shooter to play off-ball credibly. It is hard to be a starter-caliber shooting guard without being able to shoot, especially if you’re not an elite on-ball creator either.
It’s also important to remember that Davis is only 21 years old. Player development is not linear, some players peak later than others. It’s too early to give up hope on Davis, but it might make sense for him and the Wizards to change his role on the team both offensively and defensively.
If Davis is going to be a permanent feature in the NBA, he has to turn himself into an elite defender, and he has the building blocks to get there. He has a solid build, is strong, and has good lateral quickness to stay in front of attackers. He can be a lead point-of-attack defender, putting on-ball pressure and forcing turnovers, a useful role on any team.
There is still an important role for offensively-limited defensive specialists
If he focuses more on the defensive aspect of his game, he could have a role as a defensive specialist in the league, a la Bruce Brown and Gary Payton II now, or Raja Bell and Kirk Hinrich historically.
The thing about these players is that they could find at least one skill on the offensive end to survive and be helpful. Bruce Brown and Gary Payton II were fantastic in making plays as the screener in pick & rolls and in transition. Brown later added an outside shot to his game as well. Hinrich could run pick & roll and set the table for his offense, while Raja Bell was a great three-point shooter when open.
It would behoove Johnny Davis to add one of these elements to his game. That should be achievable for Davis since they are more role-player skills. Mastering off-ball cuts or making plays as a roll man is much easier than becoming an elite on-ball creator.
Johnny Davis has a wonderful opportunity this season to work on these skills on a low-stress team with no expectations. He will have the fortune of playing next to the likes of Tyus Jones, Jordan Poole, and Kyle Kuzma who will have most of the shot-creation burden. He needs to find a way to be useful offensively around those guys while taking on the most challenging defensive assignments.
It’s going to be a crucial season not only for Davis’ development but also for the future of the Washington Wizards. Let’s hope he finds a proper role on the team, for both sides’ sakes.
