Former FAU superstar Johnell Davis will play for John Calipari and Arkansas basketball in the 2024-25 season.
Davis burst onto the scene in 2022-23, leading the Owls to March Madness and helping carry them all the way to the Final Four. His big-shot ability on a star-studded team quickly turned him into a household name.
Last season, the Owls fell short of the Final Four, but Davis continued to shine. The 6-4 guard averaged career highs of 18.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 2.9 APG. That was nearly double his assists from the previous year and he continued to make an impact defensively with 1.4 SPG.
Davis gives Calipari a trustworthy scorer – someone who WILL get Arkansas basketball buckets night in and night out. The Razorbacks are still piecing together their roster, but there’s no doubt we know who the star of the team will be.
What are Johnell Davis’s strengths?
This list could go on and on, but it starts with his scoring, particularly Davis’s knack of hitting big-time threes. He knocked down over 41% of his deep shots last year and is not afraid of the moment. We saw that in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Northwestern as Davis casually launched what would have been a game-winning three. He was blocked, but the confidence was evident. Think the current college basketball version of Damian Lillard. His range is limitless – you must pick up Davis once he passes halfcourt.
Davis doesn’t usually just sit back and launch threes. In fact, nearly 50% of his field goal attempts are right at the bucket. Davis has the burst to get past defenders and the strength to finish at the rim. Even at 6-4, his speed and quickness are an underrated aspect of his offensive game.
Finally, when Davis doesn’t have the ball – beware. As far as scoring goes, he ranked in the 97th percentile in catch-and-shoot last season. It doesn’t get much better than that. He also doesn’t sit around without the ball. Davis has a lot of court awareness, whether it means crashing for offensive rebounds or helping with the offensive flow. His basketball IQ is high.
An underrated aspect of Davis’s game is his passing. That was the biggest increase on his stat sheet, going from 1.6 APG as a junior to 2.9 APG as a senior at FAU. John Calipari won’t play Davis at point guard, but having a playmaker like Davis at shooting guard will go a long way in the Arkansas basketball system.
How does Johnell Davis fit with Arkansas basketball?
My answer on May 2 might differentiate in a month or even a week from now. The current Arkansas basketball roster is:
- G: Johnell Davis (Transfer from FAU)
- F: Jonas Aidoo (Transfer from Tennessee)
- F/C: Zvonimir Ivisic (Transfer from Kentucky)
- F: Karter Knox (Freshman)
- G: Boogie Fland (Freshman)
- F: Billy Richmond (Freshman)
As it stands, Arkansas is without a true point guard, which means Davis would (at this point) be the starter. Of course, that wouldn’t be sufficient, because he is best as the two-guard. Calipari will have to work his magic to set up the Razorbacks to succeed and that will require a pass-first point guard to get Davis, Aidoo, and the rest of this current roster easy buckets.
Of course, Davis can create his own shot like few others in college basketball, so either way, I wouldn’t worry about that part of his game. I’m expecting him to be the number one scoring option of this Arkansas team, and that opinion won’t change, no matter who else transfers to Fayetteville. Davis was recruited to come be the guy and it will stay that way.
Grade & final thoughts
A+
It seriously doesn’t get much better than arguably the top player – and if we’re picking our battles – the best pure scorer in the transfer portal. Year one can be a wild ride for a head coach, even someone as seasoned as Coach Cal. Having Johnell Davis will make that go much smoother.
If Davis can be paired with a pass-first point guard, we could see even more career highs from the fifth-year superstar.