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Brandon Davies is having a productive early offseason, and has placed himself on the NBA's radar with the league's draft a little more than two months away.
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Coming off a four-game NIT run during which he averaged 18.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, Davies was immediately off to Atlanta, where he turned in a 12-point, nine-rebound, four-assist performance in helping his team to victory at a pre-Final Four all-star game.
From there, Davies headed to Virginia, and the venerable Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, featuring 64 college seniors divided into eight teams. While the highest-profile projected draft picks tend to stay away from the PIT, Davies took great advantage of the opportunity to expose himself to the NBA's personnel decision-makers.
In three games, Davies played as a power forward and excelled, leading his squad to three wins and the tournament title, while earning tourney MVP honors.
Averaging 20.7 points per game, Davies was second in scoring, trailing only Southern Miss' Dwayne Davis, who coincidentally met up with Davies in the NIT quarterfinals. The two did not square off in Portsmouth.
Davies' 9.3 rebounds were ranked fourth at the PIT, while he led the tourney field in shooting percentage at 67.6 (25-for-37). Additionally, he finished in the top 20 in assists per game (3.0; 19th), steals per game (1.3; 17th) and blocked shots per game (1.0; 13th). He committed only six fouls over three games. Parenthetically, Davies averaged a modest 27.3 minutes per game, underscoring his productivity.
Playing a little farther away from the basket, Davies showcased his versatility, and ability to make plays, for himself and others, in space--more space than he generally enjoyed at BYU. He popped as a screener and consistently displayed his short-to-mid-range jumper.
As important was his on-court numbers were his off-court interviews, with upwards of a dozen NBA clubs intrigued enough by Davies' professional potential to sit him down for conversations.
NBA.com's assigned writer for the PIT, Rob Reheuser, posted the following about Davies after his 23-point, 12-rebound outing in the second of his tourney games, last Friday night:
"Everything has been going right for Davies this week. He's scored on a variety of moves in the post. He's rebounded at a high clip. He's shown the ability to make difficult passes in traffic. He even won the battle with the tape measure, checking in 6-foot-8 ½ in bare feet.
Davies didn't have a whole lot of buzz coming into the tournament, despite turning in an excellent senior season, and you almost have to wonder why he isn't higher on the list of seniors available in this year's draft. If nothing else, he's forced teams to take a much closer look."
Reheuser also reviewed Davies' play after watching the Provo HS product lead his team to the tournament title on Saturday night:
"Davies finished with a game-high 23 points to go with eight rebounds, his third outstanding game of the tournament, and was named MVP in a landslide vote. (Arizona's Mark) Lyons, the only other player in the field to garner more than one MVP vote, added 20 points.
An informal poll conducted among a small gathering of scouts who were asked to fill out their MVP ballots with about four minutes left in the game yielded only one name -- and for good reason. Davies averaged 20.7 points and 9.3 rebounds; he shot 68 percent from the field (25-for-37); and his team won the tournament. It was one of the more emphatic slam dunk MVP votes in recent PIT history.
But, it was also the way he did it. He scored with quick and decisive moves in the post. He grabbed key rebounds. Perhaps the best part of his game was his unselfishness, as he routinely drew defenders in the lane and dumped the ball to his teammates for easy scores.
Davies brought the full arsenal to Portsmouth, and left town having greatly enhanced his draft status. Even if he struck out on draft night, as it's never the 60 best players who get picked, Davies tossed up a body of work this week that won't soon be forgotten by NBA teams already looking at options for summer league and training camp.
And that's the point that consistently gets missed amid all the nonsense with agents telling guys not to play at the PIT. Too many guys think it's about protecting their status as a late second round pick, when it's really an ongoing process of embracing competition and stating your case to be considered for a roster spot.
The game tapes and scouting reports from the regular season will always tell a good chunk of the tale. But, a chance to play against peers in front of general managers and scouts is a wonderful opportunity too many players are missing out on."
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Last Friday, ESPN NBA Draft analyst Chad Ford listed Davies among "five players who could, with a great performance at the PIT, sneak into the second round."
Ford wrote of Davies (Insider article; subscription required):
"Davies is both a good athlete and has more skill than you might think at first glance. He has a solid face-the-basket game and a pretty high basketball IQ. He carried a disproportionate load for BYU this year, and as a result, his stock has suffered. But he had a solid 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals in this first game of the PIT, and he was one of the few guys NBA scouts seemed excited about after the first two days of the event."
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