Utah Jazz: Best Prospects in Pre-Draft Workouts
By Ryan Aston
Deyonta Davis, Michigan State
Age: 19, Height: 6’11”, Weight: 237 lbs.
Current Prospect Rankings–DraftExpress: 11, NBADraft.net: 19, CBS Sports: 9
Last Season: 18.6 Min, 7.5 Pts, 5.5 Reb, 0.7 Ast, 1.8 Blk, .598 FG%, .605 FT%, 23.9 PER
Walt Perrin’s Post-Workout Comments: “For a one-on-zero, he did well. He showed some stuff in our workout that you don’t see at Michigan State. He had a pretty good workout. He’s got a pretty good shooting touch from 18 and in, very good. He showed an ability to maybe get out to the NBA three. It’s one of the things that we liked that we saw here.”
Spencer Wixom Analysis–
Davis is this year’s Rudy Gobert. He had an incredible workout and really blew the Jazz away. As an athletic specimen, Davis has nice upside. Standing at 6-foot-11 and weighing 237 lbs., he will likely be able to play the four or five.
The Michigan State big man has some of the best rebounding and block stats in the class. What I saw from Davis leads me to believe that he has great potential as both a rebounder and a rim protector.
Davis actually has a decent mid-range jumper, and could likely develop it out further over time. His offensive game is raw, but he does have good touch around the rim. The excitement of Davis is that there are few prospects with his athleticism, defensive potential and offensive potential.
While he has great potential, Deyonta still has work to do to become a great player. Davis needs to develop his offensive skills, which could take some time. He has a great frame, but also needs to add a lot of strength. The biggest concern I have with his game is his consistency. He seems to lose focus and will need a good, patient coach to help him with his defense.
Deyonta Davis has been compared to Utah Jazz big, Derrick Favors. I like this comparison. I’ve heard that the Jazz actually think Davis is further along offensively than Favors was at this point. However, Davis does not have the fully developed body that Favors had.
Davis would be an excellent fit on the Jazz. Because of his athleticism and defense, he would be a great fit next to Lyles. You could also play Davis next to Gobert or Favors at times. He would need a year or two to really develop, but his upside is excellent.
Davis is my favorite player of these mentioned here in this article, and I believe he is the most likely player to be draft by the Utah Jazz if they keep the 12th pick.
Next: Demetrius Jackson