JD Davison: The Boston Celtics' G-League star in Maine
By Ben Grunert
The Boston Celtics drafted JD Davison with the No. 53 pick in the 2022 NBA draft. Since then, he has consistently improved as a two-way prospect for the C’s. This season, Davison has taken his biggest leap yet.
In his second G League season with the Maine Celtics, Davison has averaged 21.0 points, 8.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals. The 6-foot-1 point guard has blossomed into one of the most underrated floor generals in all of basketball.
While he has only seen minutes in two outings for Boston, Davison has appeared in 31 contests for Beantown’s G League affiliate. Since the G League Showcase Cup began in December, Davison has led Maine in playing time with over 34 minutes per game.
In the regular season, Davison leads the entire G League in total assists and assists per game. Maine’s star point guard has dropped 9.1 dimes per game with 137 total assists through 15 appearances.
Davison also owns a league-high 41.6% assist percentage, meaning he accounts for 41.6% of his teammate’s field goals when he is on the floor. For reference, reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic holds a 41.0% assist percentage this season – good for fifth in the NBA.
NBA recognized JD Davison with an All-Star Weekend invite
The NBA recently named Davison to the G League Up Next Game at All-Star Weekend. He will join Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Indianapolis for the All-Star festivities.
☘️ JD has been off the charts this season.
— Maine Celtics (@MaineCeltics) January 29, 2024
Today, the @nbagleague announced that @jddavison10 has been named to the Up Next Game, taking place on Feb. 18 at NBA All-Star Weekend!
Story: https://t.co/hk2W7WXhAk pic.twitter.com/NqAQZtT2ho
On Jan. 21, Davison dropped 36 points in a home win over Miami’s G League affiliate. Maine head coach Blaine Mueller spoke with CelticsBlog's Noa Dalzell after the game, praising Davison for his performance and the impact he has on the team.
"He was great for us with really leading us out there. He opens up everyone’s game, takes a lot of pressure off everybody."
- Blaine Mueller
With the Maine Celtics up four, JD Davison (35 points) hits the floater and DJ Stewart (14 points) steals the inbound pass and lays it in — to push the lead to 8 with a minute to go. pic.twitter.com/71cMNYxMvE
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzellNBA) January 21, 2024
Two-way Celtics rookie Drew Peterson also shouted out Davison for his leadership and his ability to elevate his teammates on a nightly basis.
"JD really played well with distributing and reading the defense. He made a lot of plays for us, which really opened up the game for a bunch of guys to hit shots … He’s great for us, really leading us out there and opening up everyone’s game. It takes a lot of pressure off everybody."
- Drew Peterson
Over in Maine, JD Davison has done a great job facilitating for his teammates. He’s averaging 9 assists per game (and 20.9 points).
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzellNBA) January 23, 2024
Drew Peterson — a two-way player for the Celtics — told me much Davison is opening up the floor for him. https://t.co/WeOTQKODlu pic.twitter.com/jZ3gNvfXzJ
When he heads to All-Star Weekend on Feb. 16, Davison will get a chance to showcase his potential on the biggest of stages. For now, the NBA sophomore will look to continue his fine form as Maine plays three consecutive home games before the All-Star break begins.