Memphis Grizzlies 2017-18 Player Review: Deyonta Davis

Deyonta Davis showed flashes of being a role player but also signs of being nothing more than a G-League player this season in Beale Street Blue.

Deyonta Davis’s sophomore season in Memphis has ended and it leaves more questions than answers.

Is Davis a suitable back up for Marc Gasol long term?

Is Davis even an NBA role player?

Will he even be on the roster next year?

I say yes to all three. I also would go further to say that Deyonta Davis could have a DeAndre Jordan or Clint Capela type impact if put in the right situation. Let me be clear, I see Deyonta as a LESS athletic version of either guy.

Davis played 700 more minutes this season than his rookie campaign, allowing the front office, coaching staff, and fans to get a better look at what he brings to the table.

Deyonta’s Sophomore Season

Due to the state of the franchise this season, Deyonta played in 62 games — starting six of them. Moment of silence for Brandan Wright….. because his buy-out made the way for Davis to assume the back up center role.

The numbers do not jump off the stat sheet, averaging 5.8 points per game on 61% shooting and grabbing a pedestrian 4 rebounds in 15 minutes per game. But his Player Efficiency Rating was above the league average (15.0)  and he had a solid rebound rate.

The flashes were there — catching poorly thrown lobs and still slamming them home, knocking down mid range jumpers, and some nice weak side blocks. But at times, and certainly too often, Davis looked lost defensively and other times he just looked like he did not care to be there.

There is a lot to like about DD and lets not forget he is still only 21 years old, a college junior.

What To Expect Down The Road

I covered a little of this here, so in summary: I expect Deyonta to continue to serve as Marc Gasol’s primary back up next season and continue to grow. So I want to take this opportunity to give some hope about his future.

Player A: 15.2 MPG  61% FG%  4.0 RPG  67% FT%  .6 BPG  5.8 PPG in 62 games played

Player B: 16.2 MPG  61% FG%  5.0 RPG  38% FT%  .9 BPG  4.8 PPG in 70 games played

Both of these stat lines are from each player’s sophomore season. Player B was clearly given more opportunity to prove himself and statistically proved to be a slightly better rebounder and shot blocker. Player A proved to be slightly more effective offensively. The point is that there isn’t much of a difference between the two players.

Player A is Deyonta Davis. Player B is NBA All Star DeAndre Jordan. Jordan began to thrive as a rim runner, rebounder, and shot blocker. I fully believe that Deyonta Davis can be a poor man’s DeAndre Jordan. Give DD a point guard on the second unit that can throw consistent lobs off the pick and roll, and that will give him his best chance to be an effective NBA player.