Where former Wisconsin men’s basketball star Johnny Davis stands in mock drafts

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony cited the Wizards' need to improve their backcourt as one of the biggest reasons for picking Davis. Givony argued that Davis would fit well alongside Bradley Beal due to Davis’ defensive versatility and scoring ability. He also cited Davis’ unselfishness and “winning intangibles” as being attractive to the Wizards. 

Givony did note that this pick is assumed to be available in trade talks.

Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated hasn’t updated his mock draft since June 6, when he had Davis being drafted sixth overall by Indiana. Woo said he thought the Pacers would attempt to get fellow Big Ten players Keegan Murray or Jaden Ivey, but if they were snatched up before the sixth pick rolled around he thought the Pacers would go with Davis. He matches the vibes of what the Pacers have historically valued in draft picks with a proven scoring ability as well as a sturdy defensive presence. 

Woo posted an updated ranking of the top 100 NBA prospects on Wednesday where he didn’t tie any of the players to teams. He had Davis at No. 9 and said he “is one of the more well-rounded guards and most competitive players in the draft.” Rankings don’t always match up with the needs of a program but if Davis were to go ninth that would put him with the San Antonia Spurs. 

Charlotte is more in need of frontcourt depth than additional backcourt help. CBS’ Kyle Boone thinks if Davis drops out of the top 10, Charlotte won’t be able to pass him up. Boone said Davis is a “polished swing man” who could compete for a starting spot next to LaMelo Ball due to his versatile defense and offense. 

NBA.com compiles mock drafts and brings them together to provide an idea of how the draft could play out. It categorizes prospects in two ways, the most common projection and a calculated consensus. 

The most common projection pools together the pick(s) at which the player is most commonly projected. There are 12 mock drafts looked at. Davis was picked to go with the Pelicans (eighth overall) in three mock drafts and the Wizards (tenth overall) in five.