NBA Draft.net updates its mock draft for the 2022 NBA Draft this week. Wisconsin sophomore guard Johnny Davis was projected ninth to the Portland Trailblazers.
“If you want to watch the best player in college basketball this season, look no further than Johnny Davis,” they wrote. “He made a name for himself this summer with USA Basketball and his dramatic development is on full display this season for the Badgers. He wins in isolations, guard post-ups, backdoor cuts and anything else you can imagine that results in him putting the ball in the basket.
“It’s hard to fathom how someone can improve this much in one year, but Davis is making it a reality with his incredible start to the season. Portland’s disappointing season could land them a building block in the backcourt to ignite a rebuild or reload alongside Damian Lillard. Perhaps moving CJ McCollum mid-season for a player that fits better would be wise and then looking for a cheaper alternative with the number of quality guards available in the mid to late lottery.”
If that projection holds, Davis would be the highest UW player selected in the NBA Draft since Devin Harris went fifth overall to the Washington Wizards, later traded to the Dallas Mavericks, in 2004, and Frank Kaminsky, who went ninth overall to the Charlotte Hornets in 2015.
Davis is averaging 22.3 points on 45.2 percent shooting, including 33.3 percent from 3-point range this season. He also leads the Badgers in rebounds (7.4), assists (2.6), steals (1.4), and is second in blocks (.8).
Davis has scored 20 points or more in all but four games during the 2021-22 campaign, including a career-high 37 in a win at No. 3 Purdue on Jan. 3. Scoring 15 points or more in 13 consecutive games, Davis is the first UW player to accomplish that feat since Harris in 2003-04.
MORE: NBA Scout Evaluates Johnny Davis
Wisconsin has had just five players drafted since 1998 (Harris, Kaminsky, Sam Dekker, Alando Tucker, Jon Leuer). Of that group, there’s only been one guard (Harris).
If Davis, who turns 20 on Feb. 27, does opt to turn pro after this season, he’d be the youngest Badger ever selected in the draft, surpassing Rashard Griffith, who went in the second round of the 1995 NBA Draft.
For NBA Draft.net’s full 2022 NBA Mock Draft, click here.
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