NBA Draft grades for the Johnny Davis pick

Instantly grading draft picks under 12 hours after the picks have been made and the player has barely had time to look up what city they are moving to is, obviously, a fool’s errand. The grades are meaningless because no one has seen these players on their actual teams yet, so how can anything be evaluated?!?

That being said...I love them! I love to see what grade my favorite team received and to see whether or not people like the same guys I liked. Let’s take a look at what various outlets think about the Washington Wizards taking Johnny Davis with the tenth pick in the NBA Draft.

• Sporting News gave the Wizards a B+ for their overall draft (they also selected Yannick Nzosa, a Congolese big man who played in Spain the last two years, at No. 54) noting that Bradley Beal and Davis “give Washington a backcourt to build around moving forward.”
• CBS Sports thinks that Beal “can look at [Davis] as a guy who helps you win right away.” They gave the Wizards an A- for the pick.
• FOX Sports gave the Wizards an A for selecting Davis. “The Wizards need help for Bradley Beal, and a physical guard like Johnny Davis is just what the doctor ordered. He can break down a defense and is a capable defender. This makes a lot of sense for Washington, and with a lot of variance in this draft beyond him, it’s a nice value at No. 10.”
• ESPN’s Kevin Pelton ($) didn’t “particularly care for the fit of Wisconsin guard Johnny Davis with the Washington Wizards.” No grade here, but safe to say Pelton wouldn’t be giving the pick an “A.”
• Kevin O’Connor at The Ringer is also a little lower on Davis to the Wizards than others. He gave the pick a B- but noted “He can play with Beal as a potential defensive stopper who can help share scoring responsibilities. Or, if Beal wants to go, that just means more touches for a rookie drafted in the lottery.”

Overall it sounds like most people like the selection for Washington, to varying degrees, and I’m inclined to agree with them. Davis won’t have to shoulder such a large scoring load in D.C. as he did in Madison and that should help his efficiency greatly. He’ll also have more reliable shooters surrounding him which will, both, open up driving lanes and result in more assists.

His rebounding and defensive abilities will endear him to coaches and teammates early in his career and should be his initial path to playing time. I’m excited to see how Davis looks in Summer League (starting July 7) with some of his new Wizards teammates to see if he can quell some of the concerns people have about his game.