#WOOF: UW PICKS UP BUTLER TRANSFER GUARD
The Huskies added a big piece to the puzzle for next year’s roster by securing a commitment from Butler transfer guard DJ Davis. The 6’1 shooter from Moreno Valley, CA averaged 13.5 points per game last season in the Big East and will be using his final year of eligibility in Seattle.
Davis originally committed to UC Irvine out of high school and was a key bench player his first two seasons before moving into the starting lineup as a junior when he averaged 15 points per game on 40.2% three-point shooting. He entered the portal and landed at Butler where he started every game for the Bulldogs who made the NIT.
It shouldn’t exactly be a surprise that Davis’ stats went down a little bit while transitioning from the Big West conference to the Big East (is that sentence a sign of East Coast bias?) His 3-point shooting dipped from about 40% each of the past two seasons to 34.1% this past year. That included a disappointing 30.4% in games against premium competition. Coach Sprinkle is certainly hoping that Davis can get back to his days as an elite shooter because that’s his primary source of value.
One sign that Davis has the tools to once again shoot close to 40% from deep is that he led the country in free throw percentage this year making 95 of 100 shots. For his career he’s at 90% on over 300 attempts so that wasn’t a fluke. At the end of games if you are trying to secure a win while the other team fouls, getting the ball in to Davis provides almost a guaranteed 2 points. He made 57/58 from the stripe in conference play.
You would ideally like Davis to be a point guard at 6’1 but that hasn’t been the case throughout his career. He averaged a career high 2.6 assists per game last season with Butler so there’s reason to think he can progress in that aspect of his game. Butler had PG Posh Alexander who averaged nearly 5 assists per game playing alongside him so Davis wasn’t relied upon to serve in the role of primary ball handler.
There was reason to think that Davis might have room for growth in that role though. He finished in the 83rd percentile in points per possession last year while running the pick and roll per Synergy Sports shooting 43% from the field.
At the same time, he’s a clearly a much better shooter when he can shoot off the catch. Davis made just 22% of his off-the-dribble 3-pointers last season compared to 38% on catch and shoot and 42% on unguarded attempts. If Davis has his feet set and the ability to shoot in rhythm then he’s a top tier player. If instead he has to put the ball on the floor and still settles for a long-range shot, it’s a disaster for the offense.
Despite all of that, Davis isn’t an Anthony Holland type who does almost nothing but take three-point shots. Davis shot 59% on layups last season which ranks in the 71st percentile and 54% on runners which ranks in the 90th percentile. As long as Davis can get to the free throw line without being completely hounded then there’s a good chance his shot is going in the basket.
Davis isn’t exactly an all-star defender as might be expected for someone of his stature. He finished between the 35th and 50th percentile overall each of the last two years in Synergy’s defensive points per possession tracking. If there’s an encouraging sign though it’s that Davis’ numbers were better last season despite playing in a tougher conference and despite opponents shooting a blistering 46% on unguarded jumpers when Davis was the closest defender which has to be considered unlucky and should regress towards the mean.
This past season Davis also had his career high in steal rate but he isn’t known for being a premier ball hawking menace. He only has 3 career blocks but that’s not a surprise for a 6’1 shooting guard.
Washington’s roster is uncertain enough right now that it’s tough to project exactly where Davis fits into the mix. Unless Nate Calmese or Wesley Yates withdraw from the transfer portal, every player from last year’s team under 6’7 will have graduated or transferred. Rice transfer Mekhi Mason is the only new transfer addition announced so far. Four-star CG Jase Butler committed to Coach Sprinkle yesterday while high four-star guard Zoom Diallo is still verbally committed but has not officially signed with Washington.
It’s possible that the Huskies could opt to go with a three-guard lineup of Davis, Mason, and either Butler or Diallo. None are necessarily pass first point guards but each at least has shown they can distribute when called upon. Washington will likely still be looking for another starting-caliber guard in the portal, especially if Diallo ultimately decides to go elsewhere.