Raptors' Davis looking to become a better creator
Terence Davis knows exactly where he stands as an NBA player.
The Toronto Raptors' 23-year-old undrafted guard has broken into the league as an athletic finisher who can nail catch-and-shoot 3s. He has all the makings of an impressive NBA future and he's certainly in the right organization if he wants to take a leap into NBA stardom.
So far this year, Davis has taken the plurality of his shots off catch-and-shoot looks (44.3%) and primarily from 3-point range, where 57% of his shots have come from, according to NBA stats.
His shot chart looks like a "Moreyball" masterpiece, with 90% of his shots coming either behind the arc or at the rim, according to pbpstats.com.
NBA Stats
Where Davis needs to improve, is playing with the ball and creating for himself. That's something he knows, according to TSN's Josh Lewenberg.
Only 41.4% of Davis' shots this year have come after at least one dribble, per NBA stats. For comparison, Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet take approximately 70% of their shots after at least one dribble. Norman Powell takes nearly 55% of his shots after at least one dribble.
On shots after multiple dribbles, Davis is shooting 43.4%, compared to 49.3% on shots without putting the ball on the floor, per NBA stats.
The other area Davis acknowledged he needs to work on is his pick-and-roll game.
Approximately 16.8% of Davis' offensive possessions involve him as the pick-and-roll handler, the third-highest percentage of any Raptors player, according to NBA stats. Unfortunately for Toronto, Davis is in the 24th percentile of the NBA players as a pick-and-roll handler, averaging just 0.68 points per possession, per NBA stats.
If Davis comes back from the NBA's hiatus an improved creator, the Raptors will have another weapon to deploy when the postseason rolls around.
- Aaron Rose covers the Toronto Raptors and Canadian basketball for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter @aaronbenrose or on Facebook @AllRaptors.
