A.J. Davis

Wheat Hotchkiss

Friday in Indianapolis was a special day for the Davis family.

A.J. Davis, a 6-8 forward out of Central Florida, participated in a pre-draft workout for the Pacers at the St. Vincent Center, the same franchise where his father Antonio played a starring role in the '90s.

Across the street at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, his twin sister Kaela was preparing with her Dallas Wings teammates for a WNBA game against the Indiana Fever.

Donte DiVincenzo and Keita Bates-Diop headlined Friday's workout, but Davis drew just as big a crowd from the local media, eager to soak in his family's story.

The Pacers drafted Antonio Davis in the second round in 1990 and, after a stint overseas, the bruising forward was a mainstay in the Indiana frontcourt for six seasons from 1993-99. A.J. and Kaela were born in Indianapolis in 1995 and though they don't remember much from his time with the Pacers, they certainly understand his connection to the franchise. For A.J., it was "kind of surreal" to get the opportunity to put on a Pacers jersey, even if only for a day.

"To be back here now after everything my dad's done in this organization and having a chance to work out for (the Pacers), it's really humbling and a great honor," he said.

The younger Davis began his college career at Tennessee in 2013, but transferred to Central Florida after his freshman season. He averaged 12.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game as a senior for the Golden Knights.

While his father was a physical inside presence, Davis' game is more perimeter-oriented, but he does believe that he inherited some of his dad's intangibles.

"I think we're very different, but I think the game's just changed and that's kind of what makes us different," Davis said. "But at the same time, we're similar.

"I think I play really hard, I play defense well, I rebound the ball really well, and I make tough basketball plays that not everybody's willing to make."

By coincidence, Davis' workout with the Pacers happened to be scheduled on the same day the Wings were in town. But both he and his sister — who is in her second WNBA season — are so focused on their own basketball pursuits, they didn't even realize they were both in Indianapolis until Friday morning.

While Kaela Davis was the 10th overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft, her brother A.J. is considered a long shot to hear his name called on draft day. That doesn't mean he can't work his way into the league, though, as he'll likely have a chance to play for a team in Summer League and potentially earn a two-way contract.

He can draw inspiration from his father, who was the 45th overall pick in his draft class and didn't make his NBA debut until three years later, but eventually played 13 seasons in the league, including an All-Star selection while with the Toronto Raptors in 2001.

Whether A.J. Davis can replicate his father's success remains to be seen, but he's adopting the same mentality as he embarks on his own professional career.

"I think I play hard and I play basketball the right way," Davis said. "I can do a lot of different things on the basketball court."

SMU's Shake Milton (left), Missouri State's Alize Johnson (middle), and Cincinnati's Gary Clark (right) also participated in Friday's workout.

Sharpshooter Milton, Skilled Big Men Johnson and Clark Audition for Pacers

The other three prospects at Friday's workout may not have garnered as much media attention, but each could have value to an NBA team.

SMU point guard Shake Milton may even go in the first round of the draft, thanks to his size and shooting ability. Milton spent three seasons in Dallas (where he was teammates with current Pacers two-way player Ben Moore) and was a remarkably consistent sharpshooter.

He shot 42.6 percent from 3-point range as a freshman, 42.3 percent as a sophomore, and 43.4 percent as a junior. Each of those percentages comes from a substantial sample size, as he attempted at least 120 threes (and an average of at least four per game) in each of his three years in college.

Offense is not a question for Milton, who averaged 18.0 points and 4.4 assists in the 2017-18 season, though he missed the final 11 games with a right hand injury. His best game came in a road win at seventh-ranked Wichita State on Jan. 17, when he poured in 33 points on 11-of-14 shooting (5-of-6 from 3-point range) and dished out five assists.

Milton's size also could enable him to turn into a valuable defender at the next level. He measured out at 6-6 with a 7-feet-3/4 wingspan at the NBA Draft Combine last month and is focusing hard on the defensive end during the pre-draft process.

"Being able to be a pesky defender, get after guys and alter shots and just make it tough for the offense, I think that's important," Milton said.

College basketball fans might not know Johnson, who spent two years at Missouri State after beginning his college career in junior college, but he is definitely on NBA teams' radars.

The 6-8 forward averaged a double-double in both of his seasons with the Bears, including 15 points and 11.6 rebounds as a senior.

For some players, being able to do one thing really well is enough to land you on an NBA roster. Johnson could fit that mold, as he is one of the best rebounders in this year's draft class.

"I just have a knack and a nose for going up and getting rebounds," he said. "It's something that I love to do. I'm just dedicated to going up there and grabbing it every time."

While skeptics might think Johnson's stats were inflated playing against weaker competition in the Missouri Valley Conference, his play at the combine suggests otherwise. Johnson averaged 17 points, 9.5 rebounds, and four assists in Chicago. That performance showed that he could develop into even more than just an energy guy who crashes the boards.

"Getting to play against these high-level guys, it really just shows me that I belong and I'm ready to compete with the best of the best," Johnson said.

Clark doesn't excel in one particular facet, but can do everything well. The 6-8 forward had a standout four-year career at Cincinnati, leaving as one of the most beloved players in school history.

As a senior, the 6-8 forward averaged 12.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 52.6 percent from the floor and 43.5 percent from 3-point range. That versatility resulted in a bevy of honors. In the span of one week in March, Clark was named the American Athletic Conference's Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, tournament MVP, and Sportsmanship Award winner.

Despite his success in school, Clark will have to prove a few things to NBA teams. Even in the modern NBA, he is a little undersized for a post player and there are questions about his shooting ability (though he shot a high percentage from three as a senior, he only attempted 1.7 shots per game from beyond the arc). Nonetheless, Clark believes his all-around skill set can provide value at the next level.

"My principles remain the same," he said. "Being able to get steals, be active defensively, blocking shots, those things get me going offensively...I thrive on those plays."

Clark met former Cincinnati guard Lance Stephenson for the first time on Friday. The veteran Pacers guard had a workout in the St. Vincent Center immediately after his fellow Bearcat auditioned for Nate McMillan and the coaching staff.

Though they had not crossed paths before Friday, Clark was well aware of Stephenson's reputation.

"I have heard a couple stories," he said. "Just his intensity and competitiveness, whether it's in practice or a game...That competitiveness, it's within us at Cincinnati to always compete because your position is always on the line."

davis-hoping-to-follow-in-fathers-footsteps

Davis Hoping to Follow in Father's Footsteps

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Height: 6-9
Weight: 215
Position: PF
College: Central Florida
Age: 23

PPG: 12.2
RPG: 7.6
APG: 2.2
BLK: 0.4
STL: 0.9

Player BioCourtesy of Central Florida Athletics

Redshirt Senior (2017-18)
Eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in his career, scoring 997 in three seasons at UCF...With 319 made free throws, he ranks seventh all-time at UCF in career free throws...Had 633 career rebounds at UCF, ranking eighth all-time...Named The American All-Conference Honorable Mention...Earned Second Team All-Conference honors from NBC Sports...Named to The American Weekly Honor Roll five times...Played in and started 31 of 32 games...Led the team and was third in The American with 7.6 rebounds per game...Was second on the team and 21st in the league with 12.2 points per game...Led the league with 5.6 defensive rebounds per game and was third with eight double-doubles...Also added 67 assists, 12 blocked shots and 29 steals...Recorded career high shooting percentages of .436 from the field and .330 from three-point range...ECU (3/8): Scored 14 points in the conference tournament win...Wichita (3/1): Scored a career high 31 points to with 14 rebounds and sixth made threes...SMU (2/17): Hit four threes, scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds...USF (2/14): Scored 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds...Memphis (2/11): Went 9-of-10 from the field for a season high 20 points and had nine rebounds...Houston (2/3): Had 13 points and 10 rebounds...Memphis (1/3): Led the Knights with 16 points and 11...ECU (12/31): Led UCF with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the road win...Stetson (12/19): Had 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds...Nebraska (11/23): Scored eight points to go with 10 rebounds, seven assists and three steals...Gardner-Webb (11/15): Led UCF with 15 points and 10 rebounds...Mercer (11/10): Tied a career high with 15 rebounds in season opener.

Redshirt Junior (2016-17)
Played in 31 games, starting 29 as a redshirt junior...Fourth on the team in scoring with 8.3 points per game...Scored in double figures 10 times on the season...Second on the team and ninth in the league with 7.0 rebounds per game...Was fifth in The American in defensive rebounds with 5.6 per contest...Recorded four double-doubles on the season...Had seven double digit rebounding games...Led the Knights in rebounding 10 times...Tied a career high with 15 rebounds against ECU...Scored season high 18 points at Tulane...Dished out a career high nine assists against Maryland Eastern Shore...Made first appearance of 2016-17 season against Stetson, scoring six points and leading the team with 11 rebounds.

Redshirt Sophomore (2015-16)
Led UCF in scoring and rebounds averaging with 12 points and six rebounds per game...Ranked 20th in the conference in points per game and 18th in rebounds per game...Dished out 2.9 assists per game, ranking 11th in the AAC...One of three players in the AAC to rank top 20 in points, rebounds and assists...Shot .787 from the free throw line to rank ninth in the league...Made 122 free throws on the season to match Bennie Shaw (1975-76) for 10th in UCF single-season history...Reached double-digit points in 18-of-30 games, inlcuding five 20-point games...Scored a season-high 23 points twice with the first coming at Detroit (12/19) and the second at East Carolina (1/2)...Grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds against Florida Atlantic (12/12) while also tallying 21 points for his first career double-double...Scored 10 points and grabbed four boards in his UCF debut at Davidson (11/14)

Sophomore (2014-15)
Sat out the season due to NCAA transfer rules.

Freshman at Tennessee (2013-14)
Saw action in 25 games with one start at University of Tennessee...Shot .400 from the field and averaged 1.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per game...Averaged 8.1 minutes off the bench in eight SEC appearances...Had one rebound and an assist in the final minute of UT's third-round NCAA Tournament win over Mercer (3/23)...Saw late-game action during Tennessee's NCAA Tournament first-round win over Iowa, grabbing a rebound in the final minute (3/19)...Made his first career start vs. Tennessee Tech (12/7), logging four points and two rebounds in the win...Totaled six points and six rebounds against The Citadel (11/18)...Had two points, two rebounds and a block in collegiate debut at Xavier (11/12)

High School
Graduated from Buford High School in Buford, Ga., where he was coached by Allen Whitehart...As a senior in 2012-13, he led the Wolves to a 25-7 overall record and the Class AAA state semifinals, where he scored a team-high 21 points...Was a third-team selection on the 2012-13 Gwinnett Daily Post All-County Team...As a junior in the 2012 Region 6-AA semifinals, he powered Buford to a win over South Atlanta by scoring a career-high 32 points and grabbing 10 rebounds...Averaged 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while leading the Wolves to a 22-8 record and the second round of the state playoffs as a junior...Named one of GwinnettPrepSports.com's 2012 Basketball Super Six...Played freshman and sophomore seasons at Greater Atlanta Christian School in Norcross, Ga., winning back-to-back AA state championships...Participated at both the 2010 and 2011 National Basketball Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, Va...Played AAU with the Georgia Stars, which were coached by Williams Steele

Personal
Son of Antonio and Kendra Davis...Born in Indianapolis, Ind...His father, Antonio, played college basketball at UTEP and was selected by the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the 1990 NBA Draft (45th overall)...Antonio played 13 seasons in the NBA (Pacers, Raptors, Bulls and Knicks) and was a 2001 NBA All-Star...His twin sister, Kaela, was ranked by espnW HoopGurlz 100 as the nation's No. 2 overall women's basketball prospect in the class of 2013 and now plays in the WNBA

a-j-davis-2018-draft-prospect

A.J. Davis: 2018 Draft Prospect

The Pacers will hold their second pre-draft workout in preparation for the 2018 NBA Draft on Friday, June 8 at the St. Vincent Center.

The six players scheduled to participate in workouts are Keita Bates-Diop (Ohio State), Gary Clark (Cincinnati), A.J. Davis (Central Florida), Donte DiVincenzo (Villanova), Alize Johnson (Missouri State), Shake Milton (SMU).

The 2018 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday, June 21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Pacers own two picks in this year's draft, one pick in both the first and second rounds, the 23rd and 50th overall selections.

PROSPECT BIOS: Bates-Diop »   Clark »   Davis »   DiVincenzo »   Johnson »   Milton »

A.J. Davis

Davis Hoping to Follow in Father's Footsteps

A.J. Davis: 2018 Draft Prospect

Pacers to Hold Second Pre-Draft Workout on Friday, June 8