Toronto Raptors: Five crazy predictions that might come true
Terence Davis is a consistent rotation player by the end of the year
I am not only in the Terence Davis bandwagon; I am driving it. I might even be in the front with the cattle pulling the damn thing myself (do cattle pull bandwagons?). You can only gather so much from Summer League and Preseason basketball. What I gathered is that I believe in Terence Davis.
But fandom and bliss don’t change the odds. And the odds are, as an undrafted player, Davis probably won’t be a high impact player in the NBA. There are the rare undrafted success stories, — Fred VanVleet is easiest example– but the overwhelming majority of players who aren’t drafted don’t work out. For them to make an impact in year one, is ludicrous.
The most recent undrafted rookies to have an impact in the season after they were draft-eligible are T.J. McConnell (for the process 76ers) and Matthew Delevadova. That’s two “impact” players since 2013. Undrafted guys take time if they make it at all.
But while the odds are against him, I believe in Terence Davis. His numbers from the preseason are underwhelming, but he looks like an NBA player. He has the defensive chops, he plays with the correct pace (well maybe just a little too fast right now, but good for a rookie), and feels the game well.
Davis will likely spend the beginning of the year bouncing back and forth between the big league squad and the Raptors 905. But by the end of the year, he can crack the rotation.