Draft Profile: Deyonta Davis

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Deyonta Davis made his name as one of the most prolific shot-blockers in the history of Michigan basketball. The big man holds the high school state record for most shots blocked in a season (199), and finished No. 2 all time on the state’s swat list. The block party didn’t stop for Davis when he hit the college hoops scene, as he averaged 3.9 blocks per 40 minutes at Michigan State, and finished third in the Big Ten in total blocked shots, despite playing less than 20 minutes per contest.

Possessions Scouted from 2015-16 Season:
OFFENSE: 22.3 percent of possessions
DEFENSE: 23.5 percent of possessions

If you draft Deyonta Davis, you’re drafting a defensive stud. Davis has the size, length, athleticism and motor to be a game-changing defender and rebounder in the NBA. If he reaches his ceiling, he will have a similar impact to DeAndre Jordan on defense and on the glass. Davis is a great communicator and covers a lot of ground, and quickly. He’s very agile. Davis is a fantastic shot blocker, both as a help defender and on the ball. He attacks opponents’ shots with great timing and is quick off of his feet. His offensive game is much more raw but he has potential to grow into a threat. He is already a rim-runner who is a major threat for alley-oops, interior dishes and putbacks, but he very rarely scores a point outside of the paint. He has great extension on his jump hook and that will become one of his favored shots. His jumper is also fundamentally sound, though inconsistent and rarely used. He should be able to extend to 15-17 feet and become a threat from that distance. Davis is a defense-first player, and his offense will improve much more than many expect.

Deyonta Davis was born on Dec. 2, 1996 in Muskegon, Mich. He played prep ball at Muskegon High School and established himself as the most feared shot-blockers in the state of Michigan. During his junior season, he averaged 15.0 points, 13.6 rebounds and 7.1 blocks per game, guiding the Big Reds to a 28-0 record and a Class A state championship. He recorded a state-record 199 blocks that season, including two contests in which he swatted 16 shots. Davis went on to average 18.3 PPG – on 67.0 percent shooting from the field –15.2 RPG and 6.7 BPG during his senior season, and was named Michigan Mr. Basketball and 2015 Gatorade Michigan Player of the Year. He finished his career ranked No. 2 all-time on the state’s career blocked shots list. Davis was rated as the No. 22 recruit in the nation for the class of 2015 by ESPN, and No. 26 by Rivals. He then went on to play one season at Michigan State, where he averaged 7.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG and 1.8 BPG, while playing 18.6 minutes per game. Davis recorded a double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks) in his collegiate debut on Nov. 13 against Florida Atlantic University. However, that would turn out to be the only double-double of his college career. He notched a career-best six blocked shots on Jan. 28 against Northwestern. During Michigan State’s upset loss to Middle Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Davis scored 10 points in just 15 minutes of play. He blocked a total of 64 shots on the season – the second-highest tally in program history, and the most ever by a Spartan freshman. It was also the third-highest total in the Big Ten this past season, despite his lack of playing time. Davis finished fourth in the conference in 2-point field goal percentage (59.8 percent) and was seventh in offensive rebounds (72). On April 12, he declared for the NBA Draft.