3 things Johnny Davis has to do in year 2 to prove he is not a bust

3-point shooting

Johnny Davis was 24% from three in the NBA and 31% in the G League with the Capital City Go-Go. His volume wasn’t bad at all as he attempted over 3 three-pointers per game in both situations. His college three-point percentage was 32.5 on 157 shots in two seasons. None of these numbers come close to average accuracy.

Considering Davis’ struggles to create good shots for himself and his teammates, he needs to become an off-ball player. However, in order to be an effective off-ball player, you need to be able to make yourself a threat to keep defenses honest. For the bare minimum, Davis needs to become a good catch & shoot player to earn a consistent rotation player.

In the 28 games he played in the NBA last season, Davis shot 16 for 55 in catch-and-shoot threes.  This 29% on usually open and assisted three-pointers is well below the league average. Especially as a perimeter player, Davis needs to shoot in the high 30s before the opposing defenses start respecting his shot.

And if you are a non-shooter as a shooting guard, it’s very difficult to play significant minutes in the NBA. It creates a suboptimal offensive environment with minimal spacing, making it difficult for everyone else. If Davis’ defender hangs back and crowds the paint, slashers like Bilal Coulibaly, Deni Avdija, and Kyle Kuzma will have a difficult time getting to the rim.

One positive aspect of Davis’ shooting is the fact that he hasn’t lost confidence in shooting it. He is not passing up shots and was willing to get them up at the Las Vegas Summer League. Almost more important than hitting your shot is being willing to take them, because how defenses guard you is equally as important as whether the shot goes in.

Davis needs to keep shooting them and has to set himself a target of around 38% on catch-and-shoot threes. This will show that there is still some hope for his shot and that it’s not structurally broken.