UNC Basketball: Breaking down the Tar Heels’ 2020 recruiting class
By Trevor Marks
R.J. Davis — White Plains, NY
CG | 5-foot-11 | 164 lbs | No. 45 overall
Undersized as he may be, RJ Davis is unquestionably one of the premier bucket-getters in his class, leading to esteemed honors at the state (Gatorade POY, New York Mr. Basketball) and national (McDonald’s All American) levels. He’s a wizard with the ball, capable of bailing himself out of the direst of situations with a low, tight, and creative handle that aids him in getting to spots for floaters and pull-up jumpers.
His touch is unquestionable, seen by his deep range and excellent pre-college shooting splits (38.8 3P%, 84.2 FT%). Quickness and agility aid him with the ball, but also without it, as he was ran off screens and flashed capabilities as a cutter while at Archbishop Stepinac.
Like fellow backcourt mate Caleb Love, he’s score-first to the core, which does lead to possessions where the small guard pounds the air out of the ball while surveying the floor. He’ll miss more passing reads than one would like, but his quickness with the ball and scoring gravity does create easier passing lanes that he should be able to capitalize on with time.
Though he’s small in height, length, and frame, he’s a better defender than he’s given credit for. While he does get punished quite a bit when defending on the ball, he’s pesky off-ball when it comes to disrupting catches and intercepting passes.
What ultimately — and expectedly — limits RJ Davis’ upside is his size and strength, as it’s quite difficult to break into the NBA as a small guard with real strength concerns. He’ll be passable in some areas as a college defender, but he’ll be nothing but a negative defender in the NBA. His quickness is an incredible asset, but the lack of strength allows defenders to bump him off his spots and dissuade drives to the basket, limiting his ability to put pressure on the rim.
Davis, if given a chance to start, could do enough as a scorer to wow NBA executives into giving him a serious look as a draft pick. Just the same, the small scoring guard could see himself carve out a long career at UNC as a needed scorer, whether he’s a first-year starter or not. He’s an invaluable pick-up whether he starts alongside Love or not, and one of the more underrated pickups in the entire 2020 class.