A short season in review for Deyonta Davis of the Atlanta Hawks in the 2018-19 season.
It seems weird that Deyonta Davis couldn’t find a spot on a NBA roster after racking up over a 1000 minutes in his two first professional seasons, though he did manage to crack the rotation late in the season for the Atlanta Hawks.
In those two seasons with the Grizzlies, Davis started 6 games, averaging 4.3 points (59% shooting), 3.2 boards and less than 1 block per game. Nothing jumps off the page too far there, but certainly fine production for a 2nd round pick.
He was shipped to Sacramento last summer and then waived by them, and wasn’t able to find work on an NBA team, settling for a deal with the Warriors’ G-League affiliate.
Davis got to play quite a bit in Santa Cruz, starting 43 games, putting up 9.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while there. That, combined with his heartening play with Memphis was enough for the Hawks, who gave him a 10-day contract in mid-March.
The Atlanta Hawks are signing center Deyonta Davis of G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors to a 10-day contract, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Davis, 22, has been one of the top big men in the G League this season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 19, 2019
It was almost certainly the Atlanta Hawks just looking for a big body, as they were straddled with injuries in their front court around that time, but giving someone in just his 3rd season a chance to show himself is not a bad idea for any rebuilding franchise.
He was eased into his rotation, playing a total of 45 seconds in his first 3 games with the team, but ended up playing some good minutes down the stretch. In the final 7 games of Atlanta’s season, Davis played 16 minutes a contest, shooting the ball well, with 68% of his 3.1 field goal attempts going in.
In total for the season, Davis averaged 4 points and 4 rebounds a game. His peak came on April 2nd, when he used a season-high 20 minutes to produce 9 points and 11 rebounds. He wasn’t extraordinarily flashy on the court, but never seemed out of place, and knew his role.
Trae Young finds Deyonta Davis with a perfect lob over the defense. pic.twitter.com/lWRVyKHjbM
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) March 31, 2019
Davis’ second 10-day contract was set to expire days before the end of the regular season, and the Hawks surprised some by signing him to a “multi-year” deal. Really they just got Davis under contract for their final game, and now have him on a non-guaranteed deal for next season.
With the handful of picks and ample room to spend in free agency, it seems far-fetched that Davis would make the opening day 13-man roster, but look for Davis to be a part of the Atlanta Hawks Summer League team, as well as a training camp body come fall.
It also wouldn’t be a surprise if Davis was back in the G-League next season, but the NBA is so unpredictable, it’s hard to say. He is only 22 still.
While his future is up in the air, his tenure with Atlanta can be viewed more definitively.
He knew his place as a backup center, and played it well, if not spectacularly. He’s a good athlete and can come down with a good amount of rebounds considering his slightly undersized frame. He’s a quality-over-quantity shot taker, which can be good, but can’t shoot the three which goes against the Hawks’ main game plan. Defense wan’t a strong suit, but not a huge liability either.
A good summer will likely find Davis another NBA chance, if not with the Atlanta Hawks. For now though, he is under contract, and we’ll just have to see how this off-season – already shaping up to be a crazy one – will go.