Daquan Davis Player Evaluation

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Daquan Davis

St. John's College (DC)

Team Takeover (Nike EYBL)

Class

2024

Height

6'1"

Weight

~170 lbs

Position

Strong Hand

Right

Potential Level

High-Major

July 2022

Statistical Sample for the 2021-22 Season

Statistics from the First 3 Nike EYBL Sessions

Physical/Athleticism

Tough as nails
Looks to have grown an inch or so since the winter
Nice burst and acceleration off the bounce
- Shifts gears effectively
Moves with noticeable energy
- Pushes off the balls of his feet with urgency
- There’s no hesitation in his movements
Terrific footspeed with good footwork
Superior quick-twitch fibers
Quality first step
Strong for his size, and getting stronger
- Excellent functional strength
- Appears to have added muscle to his frame from winter-to-summer
His game is largely finesse, but he’s not contact averse. In fact, he seems to enjoy it, mostly.
Plays under the rim
Very good speed with and without the ball
High motor on both ends
Quick lateral movements
Great hand-eye coordination

Other Offensive Qualities

Offensive Qualities

A shifty lead guard who splits an efficient offensive approach between flourishing as a scorer, especially from the outer 2 levels, and making plays for others off the dribble
- Excels equally off the bounce and on the catch
- Excellent scoring instincts; has a nose for the basket
- While he’s aggressive, he has a nice way of allowing the game to come to him
- Growing scorer at the 1st level
Quickly growing ability to get where he wants to go with the dribble, using a rhythmic combination of sharp movements and quick-twitch changes of pace and direction

Can interchange between a probing style and a direct manner of movement with the ball
- Typically decisive and direct, with instinctive counters to his defender
Purposeful with the dribble, having 3 goals in mind:
- Get to his mid-range spots
- Get to the rim
- Create shots for others
Terrific jump shooter from various levels of the mid-range
- Likes to drive the defender backward into a pull-up
  - Drives hard in either direction and stops on a dime
    - Prefers to shoot this shot from 15-17 feet
- Creates separation through a combination of a crafty handle, good burst, and a scorer’s feel
  - Improving at creating space in one-on-one situations. Currently relies on the pick-and-roll to assist in space creation (see below for more details).
  - Can sometimes struggle to generate space against longer athletes in isolation
  - Utilizes effective single and double dribble moves in one-on-one situations or in conjunction with ball screens
- Doesn’t show a preference for shooting going right or left, and can do so with similar accuracy
- Feels space and time, momentum, and the help defense around him in short time to make good decisions on the shot or pass (or neither)
- Possesses an effective step-back going left

Outstanding pick-and-roll player – preferred method of attack off the dribble. Heavy reps were available to analyze.
- Efficient scorer out of the action
- Will turn the corner quickly with the primary purpose of getting to his mid-range spots
  - Can take his time to probe with multiple dribbles until he finds the spot and space he desires, or come off with more urgency
    - Makes good use of the hesitation dribble to give him additional processing time
- Likes to get to the elbows and foul line area when possible

Not opposed to getting all the way to the basket, and will quickly take advantage of driving lanes when they are present

Reads drop coverage well
- Can approach with patience, while keeping his initial on-ball defender at bay with his body
- Will attack with sharp changes of direction into quick drives to the rim or into the pull-up jumper

Skilled attacker of the hedger and second level of the defense overall

Sets up the screen with patience
- Has a tendency to come off too wide, allowing easy access for the on-ball defender to go over top of the screen
Can work right-to-left or vice versa with equal effectiveness
Uses his body to create time and space, control and manipulate defenders, and set up driving and passing lanes
- Shows a consistent ability to draw the defense to open up passing lanes for his teammates

Defenders should not go under the screen
Displays the understanding of when it is advantageous to reject the screen

Will get off it and reverse it when nothing is there

Uses his body and skillful footwork with precision to create advantages
- Naturally takes angles that turn his body into an advantage creator
- Seals defenders with his first step or subsequent steps
- Employs various pivots together with the dribble, including a very quick and effective spin away from the into a jumper moving away from the defender and rim
Able to remain effective outside of being the primary ball handler, excelling as a shooter on the catch, especially from 3
- Excellent spot-up shooter
- Good off of movement
- Knows where that line is at all times

Shows similar consistency from deep off the dribble
- Possesses a potent pull-up 3
- Has a step-back that he uses as a nice counter to the defense’s reaction to his initial move
- Shoots the pull-up 3 in transition or out of pick-and-roll action

More on his playmaking qualities
- Sound passing skills
- Understands how to draw the defense to the ball
- Touches the paint frequently
- Possesses court savvy, with a growing ability to read the defense
- Knows where his teammates are on the floor and is a sound decision maker

Transition/semi-transition
- Playmaking abilities extend into transition, where he makes the right play with simple reads
- Puts pressure on the defense with his ability to score and create for others, but demonstrates the patience to pull the ball out when nothing is there
- Pushes the ball with speed and control

Forces the defense to pick up ball with his ability to stop and pop
- Selectively uses this ability

Smartly leaks out for easy buckets, but does not do so too early
Runs the lane to spot-up on the perimeter
- Catches on the sprint and elevates for accurate attempts from 3

Increasingly capable shot maker on the catch and off the dribble (see more on his shot making in the “Shooting” section below)

Engages in purposeful movement off the ball
- Generally cuts hard and with purpose - maintains his high motor off the ball and, therefore, has the willingness to move with the purpose of creating advantages for himself or his team
- Developing a clever understanding of how to relocate to open areas after the initial movement or pass
- Vast majority of cuts are perimeter-based
- Has a natural ability to find the open area
Finishing
- Finishes well in transition
- Plays under the rim with growing craft
  - Understands how to use his body
  - Gets the ball up on the board quickly and with touch
- Solid left hand
- Will benefit from developing and implementing a floater

Showed a huge improvement at getting to the line from winter-to-summer
- 16.4 free throw rate during the high school season (14 games charted) versus a 44.7 free throw rate over the first 3 Nike EYBL sessions in less minutes per game (14 games charted)
Understands how to make the game easier for himself with a quality shot selection, getting easy baskets in transition or cutting off the ball, and capitalizing on his opportunities
Values touches and possessions alike
- Makes efficient use of his touches, translating into his impressively consistent scoring efficiency
- Over the 28 games charted, he logged a 2.7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio
  - 3.5-to-1 ratio over the first 3 Nike EYBL sessions
- Quality shot selection (see more in the “Shooting” section below)
Impacts the game outside of scoring
The biggest area to monitor moving forward is his progression at the Point Guard position, which is where he will most likely get the majority of reps at the next level

Shooting

Outstanding shooter who enjoys exceptional percentages from behind the arc and from the field overall
- High percentages are supported by his selective shot choice, muscle memory, and shot making abilities
- As a sophomore at St. Frances Academy (Baltimore), he played alongside 3 high-major guards in 2022 Bryce Lindsay, 2023 Jahn Lamothe, and 2023 Carlton Carrington. The 4 guards shared the ball well, equally distributing touches and shot attempts. Statistically, he was their most consistent and efficient shooter in the 14 games charted. In fact, he owns the highest 3-point, effective field goal, and true shooting percentages of any prospect Point Guard Eyes has ever evaluated (49.2/64.8/63.7).
- For reinforcement, as a member of Team Takeover’s talented 16U team during the spring, he continued his sharpshooting ways, shooting 48.5% from 3 over 14 games
Taking a closer look at his dead-eye accuracy from deep. His consistency shows itself in various capacities.
- In a total of 28 games charted, he shot 49% (48/98) on 3.5 attempts per game
- Shoots it extremely well on spot-ups
- Excels as a catch and shooter on the move
- Particularly shows an affinity for the corners and wings
  - Wings can be above or below the break
- Maintains his high percentages off the dribble
- Consistently exhibits expanded range to deeper distances off the bounce and on the catch

A very good mid-range jump shooter
- Majority of shots come off the bounce
- Gets to his favored spots to elevate quickly
- See more in the "Offensive Qualities" section above

Advancing shot making abilities. Despite such a quality shot selection, he has still been able to show a knack for making difficult shots, thanks to the following qualities:
- Shoots it well under duress
- Maintains his concentration on the basket against a heavy contest
- Capable of quickening his release when necessary
- Exhibits a consistent ability to create and convert off the bounce
- Displays the capability to convert attempts when off balance or when feet aren’t totally set

Needs to improve consistency from the foul line, where he shot 65.2% on 2.5 attempts per game over the 28 games charted
Preps well for shots on the catch with sound footwork and established rhythms on various catches built from reps in the gym
Shoots a jump shot on all attempts, getting good elevation off the floor
Prefers to shoot off a jump stop off the dribble or on the catch when he needs to get it off quicker, but will also use the 1-2 step on spot-ups when he has the time
- Jump stop is a big part of his rhythm on the majority of attempts

Gets the shot off adequately quick on the catch
- Will benefit from quickening the release off the dribble in isolation situations
Shot selection
- Every shot is taken with a ton of confidence
- He’s quite selective. Seeks the best possible shot and takes advantage of his opportunities/touches.
  - Doesn’t settle
- Rarely forces bad shots outside of the occasional heat check
- Majority of attempts come from mid-range and behind the arc
- 39.4% of his total attempts came from 3 over the 28 games charted
Mechanics/form – has his shot “grooved” with feel and muscle memory
- Uses a firm base that can vary in width
- Draws his power from his legs – really gets his lower body into the shot
  - It is the driver behind his power/range and rhythm
- Has a nice vertical propulsion through the shot
- Elbow is at 90+ degrees
- Release is from just above his forehead and slightly left of center
- Left shoulder visibly “hangs out” at the point of the release
- The right leg floats forward and to the left as his upper body turns
  - Can have some kick out action with that front right leg that can generate shooting fouls
- Finishes with a visible snap extension of the shooting arm and flick of the wrist
- Has a small tendency to cross his guide hand over top of his shooting arm on the finish

Passing

A willing, unselfish passer with sound skills and adequate vision

An increasingly skilled playmaker who creates easy looks for his teammates
- Accurate passer off the dribble
- Breaks down the defense and is a skilled passer from inside the lane
- Strong understanding of how to draw and manipulate the defense with intentions of creating baskets for others
- Good passer out of the pick and roll who finds the roller, penetrates and kicks, runs the pick and pop, and draws the defense in the lane to dump off on the blocks

Makes the extra pass
Puts a lot of zip on the ball
- Has a small tendency to put too much zip on it, and will improve by learning when to put more touch on the pass
Good jump passer – leaves his feet with purpose and a plan
Strategic drive and kick passer

Makes the simple read in transition as the ball handler

Dribbling

Owns a rhythmic cadence when operating off the bounce, including a visible bounciness and energetic shifts
- Has a natural replacement of self embedded into his rhythm
- Rhythm seems to perfectly coincide with his pick-and-roll work

Utilizes sharp changes of direction
Effective dribble moves are made with force, quickness, and direct intentions
- At his best when moving north-south

Quality ball control
Good speed dribble – moves with velocity, while maintaining control and keeping his head up
Strong with the ball
Keeps it low, for the most part
Usually employs a pound dribble technique
Very purposeful with the use of his dribbles
Protects the ball well with his body
- Will use variations of the snake dribble
- Skillfully maintains his body between man and ball

Defense

Tenacious defender who guards with desire and a strong motor
- Gets after it!

Willing to take on the toughest assignments, often guarding the opposition’s best perimeter player, even when there is a size disadvantage
- Fights hard against larger players in the post by leveraging his size and strength to get underneath and into the body of his man. Then does a nice job forcing contested jump shots.

Good on the ball with room to grow into a disruptor
- Utilizes sound technique
- Capable of applying heavy ball pressure without fouling
- Defends with his feet
- Will dictate to his man
- Good recovery
- Contests the jumper well
- Adequately stays in front
- Guards against the pick-and-roll with effectiveness and energy

Will deny hard off the ball, both on the perimeter and when guarding in the post

Defends with anticipation and plays the passing lanes

Effective transition defender who closes out and scrambles well
- Makes the right rotations overall
- Gets back!

Willing to give up his body
Plays good position defense
Strong team defender who understands team defensive concepts
Pays attention to detail
Maintains balance between man and ball
Stays with the play and is opportunistic when opponents make mistakes
Has very good hands

Basketball IQ

Very smart ball player who is heady and crafty on both ends of the court. Just knows how to play the game.
Quality decision maker
Consistently makes the right play/read
Possesses a mature approach of when to attack, when to distribute, and when to do neither
Progressing court savvy
Instinctive off the dribble
Possesses a quickly advancing feel for the defense
Flashes the ability to see the game a play in advance
Good awareness of time and score
Knows how to blend into a team and fulfill his role(s)
Plays the angles
Efficient player
Plays winning basketball and understands how to win

Dispostion/Presence

Disposition/Presence

Intensely competitive with zero backdown in his bones
- Tenacious competitor
- Takes every challenge head-on
Extremely confident
Mature approach to the game
Feisty
Has a tendency to wear his emotions on his sleeve
- Tends to become visibly frustration with his teammates via body language in certain situations
High aggression level
- Persistent in nature
Plays very hard
Consistently demonstrated poise and composure
Mentally tough

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