Syracuse Basketball: Terence Davis’ path to NBA went through Syracuse
Terence Davis has taken a very unique path to the NBA. Here’s how Syracuse basketball helped him achieve his hoops dreams.
Terence Davis, whose unique path from going undrafted this past June to now being a mainstay on the Toronto Raptors was no fluke. It was his collegiate exploits, specifically a March 2017 NIT victory against Syracuse basketball that put him on Masai Ujiris’ radar.
When assessing today’s flock of NBA talent, it’s rare to see a top-tier team contend when most of its roster was originally full of afterthoughts. The Toronto Raptors are one of those rarities.
Whether it be 2016’s 27th overall pick in Pascal Siakam (New Mexico State), undrafted guard Fred VanVleet (Wichita State), 2017’s 23rd overall pick in OG Anunoby (Indiana), or most recently Terence Davis (Ole Miss), who went undrafted this past June, The Raptors organization has proved that this kind of development was no accident.
Davis, who played just seven minutes a game during his freshman year at Ole Miss under Andy Kennedy, was told to become more aggressive ahead of his sophomore year and saw unprecedented improvements to his game.
After starting none of the 20 games he saw action in as a freshman, Davis stared 26 of his teams’ 36 the following year.
He averaged 15 points, five rebounds, a pair of assists, and a steal per game all while shooting 48% from the field.
Then came the 2017 NIT Tournament. Tournament No. 1 seed Syracuse played host to No. 5 Ole Miss. In what was supposed to be a relatively easy second-round win for the Orange, Davis wrote his own narrative.
In 33 minutes, the sophomore scored a game-high 30 points (6-of-7 3PT), grabbed seven rebounds, and beat Syracuse, and the likes of John Gillon, Tyler Lydon, Andrew White III, and Tyus Battle to advance to the third round.
As a junior, Davis led his team in scoring with 14 points a game, averaged over six rebounds and a pair of assists per game. After that season, Kermit Davis replaced Kennedy as Ole Miss’ bench boss. As a senior, Terence Davis averaged over 15 points, five rebounds, and over three assists per game.
After shooting over 37% from three and nearly 80% from the line, it seemed as if Davis was destined to be drafted in the 2019 NBA Draft after leading Ole Miss to its first NCAA Tournament appearance during his time as a Rebel.
After going undrafted, Davis spent time with the Denver Nuggets during the NBA Summer League before inking a two-year deal with the Toronto Raptors on July 11, just nine-days before former Syracuse basketball star Oshae Brissett inked his own Exhibit 10 deal with Canada’s team.
Since his October 22 debut, Davis is averaging over eight points three-and-a-half rebounds, and almost two assists. On November 20, Davis scored 19 and grabbed eight rebounds in a 113-97 victory over Orlando.
Two months later, in his first-ever NBA start, Davis poured in 23 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out five assists in an overtime win over Charlotte. Earlier this month, Davis scored a career-most 31 points against Chicago.
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Terence Davis’ path to the NBA wasn’t as glamorous as most expected. But his exploits at Ole Miss paired with Toronto’s eye for underappreciated talent has allowed for the 22-year-old to have a dream-like first four months of an NBA career. Davis is the ninth ever Ole Miss player to either suit up in the NBA or ABA and the first since 2004.