The Boston Celtics are going to have some tough decisions to make this summer, and almost all of them circle back to the second apron. They have been a second-apron team for two straight years, and that’s not a sustainable way to exist in the NBA. Because of that, certain players may be on the chopping block. That’s where JD Davison could come into play.
“He's a hooper, for sure,” said Jordan Walsh. “He's really talented, obviously. Nobody's worried about that. He's super talented. He's a guy who wants to take charge, take lead, and he wants to win. In his mind, if him winning is him getting 40 and 10 a night, then, hey, let's go do it. Cause he's doing it well, too. So I'm happy for him.”
The Maine Celtics picked up a 115-95 win over the Capital City Go-Go on Tuesday night, winning their first playoff game of the season. Davison finished the night with 38 points, four rebounds, and 12 assists while shooting 15-of-22 from the field and 7-of-10 from beyond the arc.
JD Davison is making a real case for a Celtics roster spot
“I mean, he's a good basketball player. He's one of the best basketball players. If you ask my opinion, I think he's MVP of the league, especially since I've been here,” said James Banks III.
“I came in mid-season, but I mean, his mentality, his leadership on the court, his leadership off the court, his voice. He's been huge with me. Huge with a bunch of other players. And I mean, what you saw tonight is what he's capable of every night.”
And Banks couldn’t have been more spot-on. To cap it off, Davison was named the G League MVP on Wednesday morning, immediately after his monster performance.
Davison played at an incredible level all season, and considering how many potential changes could be in the works for Boston this summer, he’s made as real of a case for a full-time roster spot as he possibly could have. Boston may even consider bringing him on board to wrap up this season, as they still have a 15th and final roster spot open.
For Davison, it’s about more than just his offensive impact, though. “His level of detail to the defensive game plan was high level,” said head coach Tyler Lashbrook. “He ended up getting our chain tonight. He was our defensive player of the game. And he earned it with his ball pressure, with his ability to sort of be the head of the snake for us defensively.
Against the Go-Go, that was a challenge Davigon was looking forward to.
“Just trying to be one the best defensive players on the court every night,” Davison said. “Just knowing, getting to the next level, to play every night you got to be able to guard guys. So, just trying to come out and balance—especially tonight, I think I took that matchup kind of kind of personal with Kira Lewis Jr., because he was kind of in the league for a little minute, and I know him from the same hometown, from Bama.
“So, I just kind of took that personal. So, I just try to come out every night, try to put my best foot forward on the defensive end, and I just know them guys gonna follow me.”
The 22-year-old guard has spent the past three years on a two-way contract with the Celtics, but he won’t be eligible to sign another this summer. But that will be a problem for then. For now, he’s worried about helping Maine win a championship.
But they’re taking things one game at a time.
“Definitely want to get back there, but we're just gonna take it one game at a time, one possession at a time,” Davison said. “Just gonna focus on the next game at Westchester, try to go get that win.”
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