MADISON, Wis. – Ready or not, here comes Johnny Davis to the NBA.
The 2022 Big Ten Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American, the Wisconsin sophomore guard announced his intentions to skip three seasons of availability and enter the 2022 NBA Draft on Thursday.
"My time here at Wisconsin was great, it was an unforgettable experience," Davis said on ESPN's NBA Today. "I thank all the coaches and teammates I had in my corner.
"After talking it over with my coaches and my family, I felt it was the best decision for me."
After averaging 7.0 points in 31 games off the bench as a freshman in 2021-22, Davis’ experience of winning a gold medal at the FIBA U-19 World Cup injected plenty of confidence into his abilities. The focal point of Wisconsin's Big Ten championship team, Davis led the Badgers in both scoring (19.7) and rebounds (8.2) but was even better when the stakes were higher in the regular season. Davis led all major conference players averaging 24.1 points against Top-25 competition.
Winning at Purdue, at Michigan State, and at Indiana for the first time in school history, Davis scored a combined 92 points on 62 percent shooting in the wins.
“He's an exceptional player, he's had an outstanding year, he's an amazing talent, but he's given a lot to this program,” head coach Greg Gard said. “Wearing that Wisconsin jersey means an awful lot to him. He's obviously got a future in this game.”
Beating out All-American guards Jaden Ivey (Purdue) and Keegan Murray (Iowa) for the conference’s top honor, Davis became the fourth Badgers player to win the award, joining Frank Kaminsky (2015), Alando Tucker (2007), and Devin Harris (2004).
Listed the No.9 overall prospect in ESPN's Top 100, Davis is projected a lottery pick by multiple draft analysts: fifth to the Indiana Pacers by NBC Sports, sixth to the Sacramento Kings by CBS Sports, seventh to the San Antonio Spurs by Bleacher Report, and ninth to the Memphis Grizzlies by NBA Draft Room.
"I am a very versatile guard who can score at all three levels, and I just love to compete," Davis said. "I am going to do whatever it takes to help my teammates be the best they can be and win games."
When he is selected, Davis will be the first Wisconsin player drafted since 2015 (Kaminsky and Sam Dekker). UW has had nine first-round NBA draft choices since 1950.
The NBA Draft Combine will take place in Chicago from May 16-22. The Draft will be on June 23 in Brooklyn, N.Y.
With forwards Ben Carlson and Matthew Mors announcing their decisions to transfer, the Badgers are expected to have up to three scholarships available to use on players in the transfer portal.
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