NBA Notebook: Celtics drafted passionate passer in JD Davison

Antoine Pettway traveled through layers of forests on both sides of the road, only passing the occasional pasture driving south for over 100 miles from Tuscaloosa, past Montgomery, until he reached Letohatchee, a community with fewer than 2,000 people, six businesses, one restaurant and Calhoun High School, which seemed to appear out of nowhere. Pettway, Alabama's assistant coach since 2012 and former point guard, had been told to make the trip by Jerry Bartley, the late Alabama AAU coaching icon who founded the Alabama Challenge, which Pettway once played for, was now led by Jerdarrian "JD" Davison. 

"(Bartley) gives me a call and said they had a camp, or something like that, a tournament, and JD came over as an eighth grader and just was destroying everybody," Pettway told Boston Sports Journal. "It was the first time everybody had heard of him, nobody knew who he was. But Jerry Bartley called my phone, he said, 'Hey, this kid is down in Calhoun High School, down there in the sticks, and I'm telling you he's worth you going down there.' So I went down, I want to say probably two or three weeks later, and when I went and saw him in that gym, he was spectacular man. I was like 'Yo, this kid is really, really good.' I ended seeing him that time, I'm like, 'Maybe it was just a one-time thing,' so I went back like two weeks and later and I offered him." 

Pettway formed a relationship early with Davison, long before Nate Oats became the Crimson Tide head coach in 2019 and Davison rose to top-ranked status among point guards in the class of 2021, becoming the first five-star recruit to commit to Oats at Alabama. Davison's most important ties stemmed from Calhoun, to his older brothers Jerome, Jermarques and Ja’Keem, who starred at Calhoun High School before him. To his uncle, an Alabama fan who passed away and helped inspire Davison's college decision, along with pride and loyalty. Those who knew a young Davison never envisioned him leaving Letohatchee for high school, despite his abilities qualifying him for any prep school. Five years later, he's making the leap to the Boston Celtics, likely starting with development in Maine. His college coaches hardly questioned his decision to test the draft despite an uneven freshman year statistically causing him to fall to No. 53 overall, and that faith translated to a standout Summer League where he averaged 13.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game on 43.4% shooting. 

While Davison is only beginning to form his New England ties, it was a pair of New Englanders named Charlotte Thorn and Mabel Dillingham who worked with Booker T. Washington to find the foundation of what became Davison's high school as part of the Tuskegee Institute, which aimed to educate Black people during the 1890s. Calhoun emerged as an influential private school until the Great Depression, its efforts expanding into land ownership in Lowndes County, where slavery and racism had dominated the predominantly Black population in what remains among the nation's poorest locations. 

Calhoun High School now bears the name of an institution that helped many read, write and emerge from sharecropping, Davison becoming one of its most talented basketball players ever, averaging 32.4 PPG as a senior and joining Hall-of-Famer Ben Wallace from nearby White Hall in reaching the NBA. Wallace and Davison's mother Catrina attended school together and provided the young guard with some early mentorship. Still, he fell short of Ja'Keem's Davison family standard of 41 points at Calhoun. JD prefers to pass. 

"Coming from where I'm from, maybe 100-200 people in my town, this is a big thing for me to get drafted," Davison said at Summer League. "I told my family no matter where I go, it's a blessing ... my mom gonna be proud, my family gonna be proud and I'm very proud of myself to just get drafted and hear my name get called ... I'm from Lowndes County, Alabama, where I'm the one person besides Ben where I'm from who made it to the NBA. So I'm the first person who actually got drafted. It's very big." 

More than 15 family members traveled with Davison and his brother, who were the only ones to visit Las Vegas prior. That became a familiar sight for Pettway when Davison arrived on campus, constantly asking for extra tickets for Alabama's games to fill the stands with Davisons. JD didn't enjoy the recruiting process, though he posted a graphic to Facebook at the time with his many prospects ranging from Kansas to Memphis, Michigan and LSU. Like current Celtics center Robert Williams III, the familiarity and comfort of home became major factors in his decision to play nearby. 

Davison's other attribute well-known by Alabama fans sat atop his head at Summer League. His golden flowing hair, which Pettway remembers Davison starting to grow and die blond around the time he met him entering high school. He hasn't cut it since. Davison went with a braided look for much of Summer League, letting it loose and breaking out in Boston's win over Memphis. He dropped 28 points, five rebounds, 10 assists and three steals. The guard's 41 assists finished third all-time in Vegas Summer League history behind Lonzo Ball and Payton Pritchard. That passing stood out immediately when Pettway first scouted Davison. 

"He really got excitement from (passing)," Pettway remembered. "A lot of kids that age go for 30 (points) and they super excited, (and) he could go for 30 no problem, but he would get more crunk for throwing a lob or a pinpoint, back door bounce pass or something like that than he would even for like hitting a three or dunking himself. So I always knew he loved making guys better. He loved seeing other guys succeed." 

Davison played alongside friends he had known since he was about 7-years old in Letohatchee, so his Alabama stint forced him to make a quicker transition to find teammate's sweet spots and his own. Redshirt junior Jahvohn Quinerly shared ball-handling responsibilities and Davison needed to adapt to moving off the ball and sometimes stepping into a catch-and-shoot three, which he knocked down at a 37% rate despite his overall 30.1% mark from deep. When he got on the ball, he developed a pick-and-roll partnership quickly with seven-foot center Charles Bediako. 

Oats' coaching staff knew Davison had professional aspirations and helped him hone skills that would translate to the next level. He didn't have the season he hoped for, finishing with nearly three turnovers per game, struggling to get his own shot off and finishing inconsistently despite his size and burst toward the rim. His development as a playmaker flashed in Vegas after Brad Stevens selected the 19-year-old and emphasized Boston's in a position where they don't need to place immediate pressure on him to contribute. Stevens, however, noted that Davison's 6-3 height, 6-7 wingspan and elite athleticism would probably push teammates in practice environments. Alabama ran a similar offense to what Ime Udoka emphasizes based around quick decisions. 

"A lot of our stuff we do is read-based," Pettway said. "We don't just do drills on cones. It's having to make reads against live defense, so get him into the paint, making the second-side reads or throwing the lob, throwing shake passes, coming off ball screens, dudes go under, making shots. That kind of thing, but a lot of ball screen reads ... 0.5 and that stuff we do that'll translate to that next level for him."

Celtics center Mfiondu Kabengele became the latest beneficiary of Davison's floor vision, throwing down alley-oop finishes repeatedly throughout the Summer League slate and shooting 40% from three in the pick-and-pop. Their connection earned Kabengele a two-way contract after he joined the team surprised at how good of a ball-handler Davison was despite studying his Alabama film. 

The Celtics had emphasized Davison's playmaking role and built their offense around those strengths. He started slow, struggling to finish, but when he picked up later in the schedule, Davison began stepping into pull-up threes and breaking out in transition for flashy finishes. The lob threat opened up driving lanes for himself and Boston's team-oriented system provided him with the shooters and scorers to empower around him. Brodric Thomas and Juhann Begarin shared ball-handling responsibilities, as would be the case playing next to Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in the future. 

Davison once compared his game to LeBron James' in the Montgomery Adviser for his ability to get his teammates involved. He regularly pointed out during that time freeing up them will open his own scoring game. Davison became frustrated when he didn't pass well enough in high school games, and regularly made the difficult feeds look easy, Pettway remembered. 

"He’s got some quickness to him, some burst, but he also has a nice control to his pick-and-roll game," Celtics Summer League head coach Ben Sullivan said. "A very sophisticated feel for such a young player. He’s just kind of out there figuring it out for himself and at times it looks really good.”

In Tuscaloosa earlier this month, Pettway and his former teammates had just exited a workout while Boston played Memphis and Davison showed out with one of the Summer League's top performances. The team gathered around the TV in the facility and yelled at the screen following each highlight. Davison's timing to block shots as a point guard, toss the alley-oop to Kabengele at the last second and his relentless downhill approach all became apparent to them over just 33 college games. It translated against NBA veterans and fellow top-tier rookies. Davison already looked like he belonged. 

That's why he left college after one season, Davison told BSJ before Boston traveled to Vegas. He believed that his game would show out best around NBA spacing in pick-and-roll offenses. The learning curve will come quickly and he'll need to knock down jump shots, but he already had an eye for what he'd need to do to translate to a league with less crowding in the paint, more talented scorers on the wings and rim-running big men like Williams III. Davison, in many ways, is trying to become the modern version of the pure point guard that's become more rare in recent seasons. Mike Miller, the former Miami Heat champion, is representing and mentoring him.

Playing on a two-way deal, he'll have Kabengele by his side and plenty of time and development to reach that point. He looks forward to learning defensive pointers from Marcus Smart, projects to fit well in an Udoka system and Malcolm Brogdon won't be a bad mentor either, as one of the league's top combo guards over the past decade when healthy. 

"That's one of the things I told a lot of the draft guys," Pettway said. "You're gonna be amazed. He's got some great burst to him, but guys are gonna have to stay honest with him, because he can make a shot. He's got great form, he's only gonna become a better shooter as he gets older and spends more and more time in the game, because he has really good mechanics."

Here's what else happened in the NBA this week...

Atlanta: Trae Young and John Collins teamed up in the Drew League, Young shooting 7-for-16 and his teammate 6-for-16, with his right ring finger injured during the season still appearing swollen. Collins, whose name appeared in trade rumors again this offseason, suffered from finger and foot injuries last year and fouled out of his team's loss at the Drew. Zach Lowe indicated that the Heat had been involved in talks for Collins in the past that never went far, but could restart in the future. He's owed $102-million over the next four seasons, $23.5-million in 2023.

Boston: The Celtics vaulted into heavy championship favorite status and became a significant favorite to land Kevin Durant in Vegas after multiple reports on Monday that the team entered the sweepstakes earlier this month. Shams Charania reported Boston offered Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and a first-round pick, an overture Brooklyn rejected, demanding Marcus Smart, multiple firsts and another rotation player. Lowe said the teams have communicated as recently as July 16, and the Nets could've floated Brown's name to bolster what had been a slow market for the superstar, who demanded a trade earlier this month. The news nonetheless prompted Brown to tweet smh, and set up a fascinating decision for Brad Stevens and this front office: transform the roster to add arguably the best player in basketball or stand pat and hope key bench additions keep the team consistently competitive and eventually put them over the top? Brown becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2024, while Durant is signed through 2026. 

Brooklyn: As the one-month mark approaches since Durant asked the Nets to trade him, no deal appears imminent. That hasn't changed Durant's stance, according to Shams, but he hasn't publicly addressed why he wants out. Brian Lewis and Shams reported that Kyrie Irving plans to play with the team in his contract season, setting up an intriguing training camp where Durant, Irving and Ben Simmons' intentions of ever playing for the Nets again will become more clear. Brooklyn's asking price for Durant far exceeds packages teams like the Heat, Celtics and Raptors have been capable of providing or offered, and any motivation behind the Brown report this week to raise price indicates that the team is still planning to trade Durant for now.

Charlotte: The Hornets haven't been active since the NBA Draft, retaining Miles Bridges' restricted free agent rights awaiting further development in the domestic violence case against him in Los Angeles. In the meantime, they've discussed a reunion with former star point guard Kemba Walker, who's expected to be released by the Pistons at some point. Isaiah Thomas, who helped the team on and off the floor late last season, is also in play for a return to Charlotte. The team has 13 players under contract and without Bridges would move forward built around LaMelo Ball entering year three, Gordon Hayward in the third season of his four-year deal and Terry Rozier in the first of his four-year extension. It's a young team without a clear direction that hired a new head coach in Steve Clifford who previously led the franchise.

Cleveland: The Cavaliers have a standing offer of three years, $40-million out to restricted free agent Collin Sexton, and while Chris Fedor added on the Lowe Post that he doesn't expect the guard to take it, Sexton could sign his $7.2-million qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer. The sense, as Cleveland approaches the luxury tax line, is that the team needs to pick between Sexton and trade deadline addition Caris LeVert, who shot 13.6 points and 3.9 assists per game on 43.5% shooting in 19 games. The possibility of a LeVert extension, ahead of his free agency next summer, is currently taking a back seat to more immediate Sexton negotiations. For what it's worth, Darius Garland's ascension among the most improved players in the NBA came after Sexton's prominence declined, but LeVert didn't thrive in a secondary role himself. The team may prefer to see how all three coexist on the same roster, which could be loaded next year. 

Denver: New Nuggets GM Calvin Booth updated Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.'s recoveries from injuries that derailed the team's 2021-22 season. Murray, who tore his ACL two seasons ago, returned to the floor months ago and his apprehension in certain areas like cutting has declined, Booth said. Porter Jr. has progressed slower, focusing on strength training and shooting as he returns from back surgery. Booth predicted that both players will be healthy this coming season, but could cautiously return by taking back-to-backs off. Their returns alongside back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic and new additions like Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope should have the Nuggets in line with any other championship contender in the league. That's if both stars return to their former level of productivity, which isn't a given right away. 

Golden State: The Warriors remained as resistant as any team could possibly imagine to luxury tax constraints built to make retaining a championship core like theirs difficult over time. They've now won four championships in eight seasons, but almost immediately face difficult decisions regarding who to keep and who to let go from their aging core and rising young underbelly of talent. The team let Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. walk, confident that Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga could start to fill their roles. Joe Lacob, only 24th-richest among the NBA owners, drives his spending with massive receipts from Chase Center. Franchise icon Draymond Green will reportedly further challenge the sustainability of this model, asking for a four-year, $138-million extension on Aug. 3. Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins also need new deals, and while Green's probably more important to the team today, the other two could become the team's next core duo as Steph Curry and Klay Thompson enter the later stage of their careers. 

The Warriors don't reportedly plan to offer Green a new contract this summer and can return to the table around the decision date of his player option next year, but any decision to keep him at max value could push the team's salary and tax bill over $500-million for 2023-24. It's a commitment Lacob doesn't appear willing to make. The team can play out 2022-23 without extending anyone, setting up possible free agencies for Green, Wiggins and Poole (restricted). Klay Thompson is signed through 2024 at $40.6-million and $43.2-million. One of those four players may end up the odd one out of this dynasty. 

Indiana: Among the teams waiting for the Kevin Durant shoe to drop. The Pacers got the NBA season moving by offering Deandre Ayton a max offer sheet that the Suns matched. Now, they need to address the future of Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, two veterans approaching free agency in coming seasons who probably aren't part of the Pacers' rebuild plans. The team received a Russell Westbrook and first-round pick offer for both earlier this month, but Indiana saw the trade as selling low. Two first-rounders could be enticing, and it feels like a place LA would inevitably go if the Westbrook situation grows desperate. His one-year contract isn't much for the Pacers to take on and waive, but their priority remains getting appropriate return for two rotation players. If Kyrie Irving stays put in Brooklyn, there has to be a deal here that works.

Lakers: The Lakers' next steps back to championship contention revolve around how long LeBron James remains committed to the franchise entering his 38-year-old season. James can become an unrestricted free agent next summer, or sign a one-year or two-year extension worth $46.7-million or $97.1-million, respectively (he's limited to three-year contracts by the over-38 rule). He remains happy living in LA, Marc Stein reported, and there's no deadline for his extension talks when they open in August, allowing the Lakers to assess their options into next season. 

New head coach Darvin Ham has indicated a willingness to work with Westbrook, while the team readjusted its roster around younger, more athletic players even if LA couldn't get in on the offseason's top talents. The team is also continuing to monitor the Kyrie Irving situation in Brooklyn, but remains resistant to offer two first-round picks available in 2027 and 2029. It's hard to imagine a Westbrook year two going much better if he won't commit to the role Frank Vogel's staff had already pitched him on, Zach Lowe recently noting that tracking data showed Westbrook didn't set multiple screens for James in a game more than once between the second game of last season and March. Ham stressed screening, rolling and defense for Westbrook at his coaching introduction.

Miami: The Heat's ability and willingness to pursue Kevin Durant appears to have slid off with the team reportedly disinterested in offering Bam Adebayo (a move that's currently impossible with Ben Simmons on the Nets). Miami can move on to Donovan Mitchell or making smaller moves around the edge of its roster. Several Heat writers indicated the possibility of a Duncan Robinson-Davis Bertans swap, a largely lateral move that might at least give Erik Spoelstra another rotation player he feels comfortable playing (and long-term flexibility). 

Standing pat wouldn't be the end of the world for the Heat, the No. 1 seed in the east last season, but Tyler Herro is due for a new deal that'd make him difficult to trade and Max Strus might be in his prime point of value to be included in a larger deal for a star. While Miami is relatively young in its growth as a team, it's in a strangely inflexible position to consolidate and move closer to a title while its star Jimmy Butler is in the later stage of his career. Mitchell could make some sense here, but of course the Heat are more limited than suitors like the Knicks in their picks. 

New Orleans: Zion Williamson's new $231-million deal with the Pelicans could be reduced below $193-million if he doesn't meet weight and other incentives reportedly included in the contract. Williamson, rumored to weigh over 325 pounds early last season while recovering from a broken foot, needs to stay under 295 pounds during period weigh-ins that'll also account for body fat. The contract, which runs from 2023-2028, also relies on Williamson's ability to return to All-NBA status, the difference between whether he'll earn 30% of the cap for the length of the deal or 35%. Williamson's chef dished on his health and diet last week, noting that the star is healthy ahead of his return in 2022-23. 

New York: The Knicks have reportedly backed out of the Donovan Mitchell sweepstakes for now, according to Shams Charania, with the two sides last speaking two weeks ago. New York balked at Utah's original reported asking price, six first-round picks and all of the Knicks' young players like Obi Toppin, Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley. The Jazz, given Mitchell's four-year contract status, don't have any rush to make a deal and the Knicks' caution is admirable given their lack of competition, but New York ultimately needs more talent to compete in the loaded eastern conference next year even after signing Jalen Brunson. Utah's Danny Ainge knows that and has stayed in contact with the Hornets and Wizards on a Mitchell deal, Shams added. 

Phoenix: Jake Fischer shed more light on the Kevin Durant trade request, saying on his podcast that Durant believed in listing the Suns as one of his preferred destinations that the team could easily trade for him. It proved more complicated, Deandre Ayton in restricted free agency and Phoenix only able to offer Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson alongside future draft picks and salary with Ayton. The big man then signed an offer sheet with Indiana, effectively removing the Suns from the sweepstakes until January or they decide to offer Devin Booker, which almost certainly isn't happening. 

Sacramento: Rookie Keegan Murray, the No. 4 overall pick and Summer League MVP, underwent right wrist surgery following the Vegas showcase and is expected to make a speedy recovery. The Sacramento Bee reported that Murray had loose bodies removed from his wrist in the procedure and is already back on the court shooting with his left hand. The Kings also padded their guard depth on Friday, announcing the signing of veteran Matthew Dellavedova.

Utah: The Knicks, Wizards, Hornets, Heat, Raptors, Kings and Hawks have all emerged as Donovan Mitchell suitors since the Jazz indicated a willingness to field offers for their star guard. They're progressing patiently, with a high asking price. In the meantime, Shams wrote, Utah is one of three teams that have taken calls regarding Russell Westbrook's future. After the Jazz took back Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Walker Kessler in the Rudy Gobert deal, they're $24.4-million over the cap and only $8.3-million below the luxury tax threshold. 

It's remarkable how many unresolved stories remain this late in the NBA offseason, and Utah appears far from finished with veterans like Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Bojan Bogdanovic and Rudy Gay all potentially helpful to other contenders. Perhaps Ainge, like with Mitchell, hopes to pump up their value even if it requires entering the season and having one of them over-perform ahead of the trade deadline.