Davidson Proving He Belongs

By MATT ROCHINSKI
bobcatsbasketball.com
July 13, 2007

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ORLANDO – With less than one month under his belt as an NBA rookie, Jermareo Davidson has proven to be a player of few words.

But what he does say, much like what he does on the court, has a way of making an impact.

During Friday’s 55-47 loss to Indiana that wrapped up Charlotte’s summer league at 2-3 overall, two professional scouts were overheard talking about Davidson’s game.

“That guy can flat-out play,” one said to the other. “He can get up and down the court, finish and could be a game-changer defensively.”

Responded the other, “Yeah, he could a second-round steal.”

When told about the conversation following the game, Davidson though for a second, smiled and responded briefly.

“Good,” he said. “I want to make them all pay.”

That’s because 25 other teams passed on Davidson before he was drafted 36th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft and obtained in a draft day trade with the Warriors along with Jason Richardson in exchange for eighth overall pick Brandan Wright.

“I wasn’t sure where I was going to go in the draft,” Davidson admitted. “I had heard late first or early second, but nothing was definite. I use that as a lot of motivation. It just makes me want to go hard and make all those other teams realize what a mistake they made when they passed on me. I’m just going to continue to work hard, get stronger and keep hurting them.”

If the teams in the 2007 Orlando Summer League didn’t know much about Davidson coming in, they’re aware of who he is now.

Davidson impressed his coaches and teammates, as well as opposing players, coaches and scouts. He averaged 10.6 points on 41.5 percent shooting from the field and added 3.6 rebounds 1.00 steal and 1.00 block in 29.5 minutes and was named to the 2007 Orlando Summer League Second Team, along with teammate Jared Dudley.

“Jermareo is a very skilled post man with a great jump shot,” Adam Morrison commented. “He plays hard and can block some shots, so that’s going to help us. I think he’s just going to continue to develop his game and become stronger.”

One thing Davidson feels will benefit him is the jump shot Morrison spoke of, because few people expect the 6-10, 230-pound forward/center to have the sweet touch he has from 15-feet-plus.

“If anyone out there has ever seen me play, they probably think I’m strictly post-up moves and dunks,” he said. “So I’ll have the chance to catch some opponents sleeping not knowing if I can knock down a jumper or not, and that will help me out a lot.”

Unfortunately, Davidson’s jumper wasn’t falling on Friday in a 55-47 loss to the Pacers that ended Charlotte’s summer league at 2-3 overall. He finished with nine points on 3-9 shooting and brought down three rebounds. But Davidson wasn’t about to let one average performance get him down.

“I think that summer league was a great experience, but I know it will be a lot harder when the real deal starts,” he said. “It was good opportunity to get out here though. It showed me the things I need to work on, and with the five games back-to-back, it gives a rookie a bit of a taste of what the regular season will be like.”

For now, Davidson plans on going back to Charlotte and dedicating himself to being as prepared as he can possibly be for training camp. After all, he knows his doubters will still be out there, and he can’t wait to prove them wrong.

“Coming in as a second round pick puts a lot of pressure on me,” he said. “I want to come in and prove myself, and at the same time, let a lot of people know they slipped on me. I just want to be there for my team in any way possible. I’m going to keep working hard, and I know when camp rolls around, I’m going to be ready to get started.”

NOTES: Friday’s game between the Bobcats and Pacers wrapped up in a record one hour and six minutes. The two teams decided to go to a running clock for much of the contest, as both teams were trying to get to the airport to make their earlier flights.

With the time flying by, high scorers were hard to come by. Jared Dudley scored a game-high 13 points, and Gabe Muoneke added 10 points for the Bobcats. Marque Perry led Indiana with 11 points, while Kasib Powell added 10 more.

A total of one victory separated the six teams at the summer league. Indiana, New Jersey and Orlando all finished at 3-2 overall, while Charlotte, Chicago and Miami fininshed 2-3.