Final Grades: A Look Back at De'Ron Davis' Season at Indiana
Second in a series
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana senior center De'Ron Davis was healthy and able to play a full season in 2019-20, but his contributions were minimal for the Hoosiers. He was clearly the fourth of four big men behind Trayce Jackson-Davis, Joey Brunk and Race Thompson, but did have a few moments.
Davis, the 6-foot-10 center from Colorado who was a Tom Crean recruit, was never the same after suffering a serious Achilles tendon injury midway through his sophomore year. He averaged 8.6 minutes a game this year, and that might have been more had he been able to avoid early fouls when he came into games.
He had one great game — at Michigan when he scored 18 points on a school record-tying 9-for-9 field goal attempts — but that was it for big impacts. The rest of his assistance came in small doses.
Let's take a look at Davis' season.
By the numbers
- Games played: 31
- Games started: 1
- Minutes per game: 8.6
- Points per game: 2.7
- Assists per game: 0.6
- Rebounds per game: 1.3
- Field goal percentage: 50.0
- 3-point percentage: 0.0
- Free throw percentage: 45.5
Best game
Michigan 89, Indiana 65 on Feb. 16, 2020: It was almost a shame that Davis' best game this season was one of Indiana's most embarrassing defeats. The Hoosiers got pounded by Michigan in Ann Arbor, but Davis was literally unstoppable all night long.
Davis scored a team-high 18 points in the 89-65 loss, making all nine of his field goal attempts and tying a school record in the process. It was the only time he scored in double figures all season.
Things I liked
What Davis' Achilles injury took away from him was his ability to move well, but what he still had in his arsenal was the ability to score around the basket.
He had above-average post moves and shot 50 percent from the field on the season despite starting out just 5-for-20 through the first 11 games. He was able to hold his ground well and didn't get pushed around. The Michigan game, he was practically the only Indiana player who could score.
He had other games too where he scored a few quick buckets, and his small role did help the Hoosiers have a 20-win season. Much like fellow senior Devonte Green, Davis really wanted to earn an NCAA tournament berth this year, something that had eluded the two seniors during their career. They probably did earn that bid, but the cancellation of the tournament took that chance away.
Things I didn't like
There were times when Davis' lack of mobility was an obvious issue on the defensive end of the floor, especially in defending the pick-and-roll. He was certainly a liability there, mostly because he would pick up a couple of quick fouls in several games.
It wasn't that big a deal when everyone was healthy, but there were games when Thompson was out with an injury or Brunk was struggling in a late-season slump. There were times when the Hoosiers could have used more out of Davis, and didn't get it. Outside of the Michigan game, he never scored more than six points in any game.
The worst stat of all for Davis? Like Green, he finished 0-7 in his career against Purdue.
Best video
This was Devonte Green's moment on their Senior Night preview press conference, but it was Davis who got him laughing. That moment is priceless.
Final Grade: C
His career wasn't what everyone expected, and even though his role was minimal this year, it was nice to see that Davis enjoyed his senior year with his teammates.
But it was an average year at best really. He had the one big game, and even that came in a 25-point loss. It would have been interesting to see what kind of player he would have become had he stayed healthy. But that wasn't the case. The biggest regret, of course, was not being to end his season the way he wanted, in an NCAA tournament game.
For Davis, I'll give him a C. It was average at best.
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Related content on De'Ron Davis
- A SENIOR MOMENT: It was nice to see De'Ron Davis have a big moment during his senior year with the big game at Michigan. CLICK HERE
- BENCH ROTATIONS: This is going to be an ongoing debate all season for De'Ron Davis and the Hoosiers. CLICK HERE
Complete list of 'Final Grades' stories
- PART 1, DEVONTE GREEN: Breaking down the season for Indiana senior guard and co-captain Devonte Green. CLICK HERE
- PART 2, DE'RON DAVIS: Indiana's senior big man battled injuries throughout his career, but stayed healthy in 2020 and played a small role. CLICK HERE
- PART 3, AL DURHAM: The junior guard leads Indiana in three-point shooting percentage and carries a big load. CLICK HERE
- PART 4, JUSTIN SMITH: The junior forward was second in scoring and rebounding for the Hoosiers, but there seemed to be something missing. CLICK HERE
- PART 5, JOEY BRUNK: The transfer from Butler added a lot to the Indiana roster, both on and off the court. CLICK HERE
- PART 6, ROB PHINISEE: The sophomore point guard never was the same after a lengthy abdominal injury. CLICK HERE
- PART 7, JEROME HUNTER: It was great to see Jerome Hunter back out on the floor after missing entire freshman season. CLICK HERE
- PART 8, RACE THOMPSON: The redshirt sophomore was productive off the bench, and had a happy homecoming in Minnesota. CLICK HERE
- PART 9, DAMEZI ANDERSON: We take a deep dive into what happened to Damezi Anderson, whose offensive game completely disappeared. CLICK HERE
- PART 10: TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: The standout freshman was Indiana's best player all season, and it wasn't even close. CLICK HERE
- PART 11: ARMAAN FRANKLIN: Some magical moments back home in Indianapolis this season for Indiana's freshman guard. CLICK HERE
