Kings’ Davis puts college records behind him in search of NBA success

Kings’ Davis puts college records behind him in search of NBA success originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – As the second-leading scorer in college basketball history, along with setting the Division I record for 3-pointers, Antoine Davis boasts an impressive resume that has had folks talking about his game for quite some time.

For Davis, however, it’s all just a blip on the radar.

The past is the past, and the 25-year-old has his eyes set on an NBA future, potentially with the Kings.

“Just a blessing. Really appreciate the Sacramento Kings giving me an opportunity to come here and showcase my talent and play with some great players,” Davis said after scoring 14 points in an 86-82 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday at Golden 1 Center. “I did extraordinary things in college, but college is the past. Just beginning my professional career, I’m excited going forward.”

As he – and the Kings – should be.

Davis is a ball of offensive energy, a sharp-shooter who routinely averaged scoring in the 20s during his time at the University of Detroit Mercy while burying better than 41 percent of his 3-point shots as a senior in 2022-23.

Davis wasn’t that sharp against the Hornets. He was 6 of 15 from the floor and just 2 of 8 behind the arc.

Yet Doug Christie, who has been coaching the Kings’ summer league team in place of Mike Brown, had nothing negative to say about Davis. Christie embraced Davis’ demeanor regarding leaving his college accomplishments behind to focus on an NBA career.

“First of all, he’s a big-time scorer. If he’s open, it’s pretty much good,” Christie said. “I know he was super tired tonight, and that’s what you want. You want to dig into a shooter’s legs. That attitude I thought permeated throughout the whole team. It was bigger than an individual.

“I told all those guys when we first got together, ‘Look, whatever you did before you got here, we were all the man before we got here. If you weren’t the man you probably wouldn’t be here. But the fact that you’re here lets you know that now you got to find your own way.’ And by him being humble enough with the accolades that he has, I tip my hat and say respect because the kid can score the basketball at a really high level. Now, he’s got to try to navigate and find his way [in the NBA].”

The Kings have plenty of young players like Davis, trying to carve their own path as a pro while latching on with an NBA team.

The summer league is a perfect fit for Davis and others like him who were either over-looked or simply didn’t have the type of game teams were looking for.

Sacramento already has a logjam of guards on the roster, so Davis will have to continue to produce and impress in order to get an edge.

“Keep doing me and just try to make a team, try to stick around and make a name for myself in this league,” Davis said when asked what his goal when he got invited to the Kings’ summer league.

He did exactly that in college. And as impressive as that was, Davis will have to do all that and more to make it in the NBA.

Download and follow The Deuce & Mo Podcast