Two Underrated Traits Kennard Davis Brings to Mizzou Basketball

Missouri basketball added Kennard Davis through the transfer portal May 1, making him the fourth portal newcomer in Missouri's top 15-ranked transfer class.

The 6-foot-6, 215-pound wing averaged 8.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game for an NCAA Tournament-appearing BYU squad last season, and averaged a career-high 16.3 points per game at Southern Illinois the season prior. Perhaps more importantly, Davis is a career 34.1% 3-point shooter on 4.2 attempts per game, peaking at 37.6% in his 2024-25 season at SIU.

He's a versatile wing with the ability to knock down threes and occasionally put the ball on the floor while being capable of holding his own on defense. However, he brings plenty to the table that's not visible through the stat sheet.

Playing with Superstars

Feb 10, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) reacts with guard Kennard Davis Jr. (30) after a play against the Baylor Bears during the second half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Not every player is cutout to be a superstar. Not every player is cutout to be a role player.

For Missouri, incoming five-star freshman point guard Jason Crowe seems every bit cutout to be a superstar. He's the No. 6-ranked recruit in the 2026 class, per 247Sports' composite rating. He broke California's all-time high school career points record the past season while averaging 43.6 points per game for Inglewood High School, and won the Co-MVP of the McDonalds All American Game.

Superstars like Crowe need high-quality role players surrounding them to help a team function as a cohesive unit. Davis knows exactly how to do that. He spent last season at BYU playing alongside five-star freshman and projected top-3 NBA Draft pick AJ Dybantsa.

Dybantsa said this about the now-Missouri guard after Davis' 20-point explosion over West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament.

"He was in a shooting slump in the middle of the season," Dybantsa said. "It was kind of tough for him, but KY [coach Kevin Young] just said to stay confident and find other ways to score, offensive rebounds, get it done. He’s been doing that, and now the shots have started falling. So I think he is dangerous.”

Davis started all 32 of his games with the Cougars, starting each of them alongside Dybantsa in the starting lineup.

Lineup Flexibility

While Davis might not start at Missouri like he did at BYU, he'll certainly provide lineup versatility and high minutes for head coach Dennis Gates — something the Tigers lacked in the 2025-26 season.

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; BYU Cougars guard Kennard Davis Jr. (30) dribbles against Texas Longhorns forward Camden Heide (5) in the second half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Davis' combination of size, shooting and ball-handling makes him a viable option to start in the backcourt next to Crowe, should Gates desire to shake up a lineup. Gates has turned to small-ball lineups at times throughout his tenure at Missouri, deploying units of such for the majority of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, and utlizing it with Mark Mitchell as the psuedo-center the past two seasons.

Slotting Davis into the starting lineup could allow Kansas transfer Bryson Tiller to slot up to the center spot, while returning forward Trent Pierce slides up to the power forward spot, similar to how Pierce and Mitchell operated in the 2024-25 season.

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