Game-Managing Or Scoring, Davis Knows What Buttons To Push
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CHAPEL HILL-- North Carolina Tar Heels' junior point guard RJ Davis has been on a tear this season, scoring 16.5 points per game, grabbing almost five rebounds per game, and dishing out 3.2 assists.
Recently, his grit and toughness have been praised for taking the hero charge at the end of the Syracuse game or for playing through nagging injuries over the past couple of weeks. In addition, his development and ability to flip the switch from floor general to scorer have been key components to this team's success in winning ten of their last 12 games.
"Just playing at a high level," Davis said in reference to his recent play. "I think I am doing a great job at doing that, and on a consistent basis.”
Davis’ confidence is at an all-time high as a Tar Heel, as it should be.
The UNC guard is averaging career highs in all of his shooting percentages and even in rebounds, a part of Davis’ game in which he takes great pride. The yearly progression from his freshman season to now clearly tells the tale:
In last year’s NCAA Tournament, Davis handed out 12 assists in the first round against Marquette, and two days later, went for 30 points in eliminating defending national champion Baylor.
It wasn’t just Davis’ offensive production that was so crucial in Carolina advancing to the Sweet 16, it was how he willed the team to victory. Brady Manek was ejected midway through the second half, Caleb Love fouled out a few minutes later, and the Tar Heels closed the game with a makeshift lineup. But they had Davis running the show, and that was enough.
"I know my ability to get to my spots and knock it down," the UNC point guard explains his stay-vigilant mentality. "Just knowing when my team needs me to score. We have so many talented players around me that I know I can either get to my spots or it would be better for them for me to find them."
After scoring 26 points in last Saturday's NC State game, the junior point guard gave a little bit of insight on how he approaches the game.
"I just let the game come to me and don’t force anything," Davis said. "I don't really have a clear definitive of what I am going to do in the game, more so just be aggressive and take what the defense is going to give me."
UNC’s point guard is a former McDonald's All-American and Mr. New York Basketball from his high school playing days at Archbishop Stepinac. Davis, who averaged 26.5 points per game in high school, has been accustomed to scoring the basketball. It's one thing for a player to flip the switch from floor general to scoring, but it's another for someone who actually thrives at doing both.
"Playing point guard my whole life, I know when to score and when to pass," Davis recently explained. "I think me controlling the game makes it better for everyone else and the flow of the game. I've had the ability to be a natural scorer my whole life, so that’s not new to me.”
Davis’ teammates know his game, as Bacot, Love, and Leaky Black have started alongside him most of the time as Tar Heels.
"He is great at that," Love says about Davis’ multifaceted skill set. "He’s been doing that his whole career. Credit to him because he's been doing that his whole career, which is great for him but great for us as well. Just having him on the court, we have a better chance of winning."
That is undeniable.