Davis Reflects on Season and His Decision to Enter the 2022 Draft

The Wisconsin Badgers’ basketball season came to an abrupt end after a stunning loss to Iowa State in the second round of the March Madness tournament. As the Badgers walked off the court that night, many fans wondered if that would be the last game Johnny Davis would play for his home state team. 

The La Crosse native came into the season overlooked by many NBA scouts and analysts, five months later he is a projected lottery pick by virtually every major source. On Thursday, March 31, the Badgers’ breakout star announced on EPSN’s NBA Today that he would forgo his remaining college eligibility to enter the 2022 NBA Draft. 

In an interview with Media Milwaukee, Davis reflected on this past season and his decision to enter the draft.

“It actually wasn’t a very hard decision at all because I wasn’t going to turn down millions of dollars to go back to school,” said Davis.

For the Davis family, basketball is more than a game, it’s a family affair. Johnny’s twin brother Jordan is also a member of the Badgers’ basketball team, and their younger siblings, Maxwell and Samantha, are also a set of twins who have a promising future in the sport. 

Their father Mark Davis was drafted in the 1985 NBA Draft, playing 33 games –most of which were for the Milwaukee Bucks– but he played professionally for 13 years, internationally and in the CBA. 

This season, the sophomore guard averaged 19.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, leading Wisconsin to a 25-8 record and a share of the Big Ten regular season championship. Over the course of the season, Davis amassed a multitude of breakout performances that put him on the national radar. 

However, it was early in the season when he decided that NBA scouts wouldn’t be able to ignore him for much longer. He identified two pivotal moments in which he knew this would likely be his last season before playing professionally. 

“Definitely after the Maui tournament,” Davis said. “But then really after that Purdue game.” 

“After we played in the Maui Invitational, we came back and beat Texas A&M the first game and then beat Houston, who was ranked 12th in the nation at the time. We ended up winning the whole tournament and got ranked in the top 25,” said Davis. 

Davis scored 71 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in the three games they played at the Maui Invitational, earning himself MVP of the tournament. But, it was the performance against Purdue that solidified him as a must-see talent across all of college basketball. 

“That game at Purdue too,” said Davis. “Not even because I played really good, but as a team we just beat the number three team in the nation at their home court, and that was their only loss at home all season.” 

By “really good,” he means 37 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. He became the first Division I player to lead his team in all five categories in a road win over a top-five opponent since NBA Hall of Famer Tim Duncan did it in 1997. 

Davis built an extensive resume of signature performances over the course of the season, thrusting his name into discussions of the best players in college basketball and skyrocketing his draft stock. 

He was awarded Big Ten Player of the Year, Lute Olson National Player of the Year and was named the 2022 Jerry West Award winner. Though the individual recognition was nice, when asked which accomplishment was most rewarding, Davis prioritized the team.

“The regular season Big Ten Championship was the most important to me,” he said. “At the beginning of the season we were projected to finish tenth, which is basically the bottom of the conference. I don’t know if there has ever been a team who was ranked tenth and went on to win at least a share of the title. That was definitely the best accomplishment this season because, I mean, I got a lot of individual awards and those are cool, but none of those really matter unless you win.”

Despite all of his recent success, he still finds it hard to comprehend that in a few months he will be walking across the stage on draft night in Brooklyn.

“It really doesn’t even feel real,” Davis said. “I remember being young and loved playing basketball and had people tell me, ‘you don’t really got a chance, nobody ever goes to the league, everybody thinks they can go to the league but they never actually do.’ Now that I actually see that I am projected to be a lottery pick, it makes me happy, but it also makes my family happy and that’s really the biggest thing to me. I just want to make them proud because I know my parents put a lot of time and dedication into making me the person I am, so all this success and these rewards are for them.”

When reflecting on his childhood, Johnny said that ever since he learned of the NBA, he knew he would end up playing there. 

“I started playing basketball when I was like four,” said Davis. “Once I became cognizant of what the NBA was and the competition level of it, I knew I wanted to play in the NBA. It wasn’t ever a dream, I kind of knew I was going to go there the whole time. Sometimes I had my doubts, but I’ve always been very confident in myself and knew that I would be able to make it.”

Although Johnny Davis will not play another game in a Badgers’ uniform, he still has high hopes for his alma mater in this upcoming season. 

“I hope they can build off what we did this year,” Davis said. “Some people think that I carried the team, but they still work their butts off and know how to compete. I think they can come out and shock everybody again, be a really good team and win some games. Hopefully they can make a farther run in the tournament and do better in the Big Ten Tournament than we did this year.”

Wisconsin’s head coach Greg Gard will have some key contributors returning like Tyler Wahl, Chucky Hepburn and Steven Crowl. Jordan Davis will be one of the players expected to step into bigger roles following the departure of Johnny and senior guard Brad Davison. 

Jordan feels prepared to become a crucial part of the Badgers’ team and is eager to show the nation more of what he can do on the court. 

“For me to be able to step into a bigger role this upcoming season means a lot to me,” Jordan said. “I know that I can show a lot more than what I was given this year with minutes, and I know that all this hard work that I’m putting in this offseason will show people that the Davis bros know how to hoop.” 

As Johnny prepares for the next step in his career, he has high expectations for his twin brother and believes he will have no problem stepping up.

“I hope Jordan will come join me in the league,” said Johnny. “He had a lot of setbacks with injuries in high school playing football, which obviously can take a toll. But, I definitely think he has the confidence in himself, the skill-level and talent to be able to be at the next level by next year.”

For Jordan, he is proud of all the success Johnny has already obtained and he looks forward to what is yet to come for his brother. 

“Johnny going to the draft means a lot to our family,” said Jordan. “We always dreamed of following in our Dad’s footsteps and to be in the NBA and he’s well on his way right now and I couldn’t be more happy for him. He has represented our family so well this year, he had a great season in college and I’m excited to see what he does in the future.” 

It is impossible to know what the future holds for either of the Davis brothers, but they have already made a significant impact on Wisconsin basketball. A lot of eyes will be on Jordan and the Badgers’ team to see how they fare moving forward. 

Regardless of where Johnny ends up in the NBA, his 2021-2022 season will be remembered by Badger fans for years to come. 

Although he cannot determine exactly how his future will unfold, he has a pretty strong track record of calling his shots. 

“I’d like to think I’ll still be playing in the NBA  if nothing bad happens to me,” said Johnny. “I hope to be one of the top players in the league. Hopefully I get married, maybe become a father and start my own family. Also, I just want to be a better person, you know, with time comes experience and wisdom. I hope I am just overall better. Better at basketball and better at dealing with everything off the court.”

The 2022 NBA Draft will be held Thursday, June 23rd, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Johnny and the rest of the Davis family will be in attendance awaiting the call that will determine what’s next for his career.