Toronto Raptors: Terence Davis will not be a part of Rising Stars game

Toronto Raptors’ guard, Terence Davis, was left off Team USA’s roster for the Rising Stars game. Did the undrafted rookie deserve a better fate?

The Toronto Raptors have made a habit of finding diamonds in the rough the past few years, beginning with the discovery of Fred VanVleet. Their latest discovery is 22-year-old, Terence Davis.

Davis went undrafted out of Ole Miss but has managed to carve out a meaningful role with the Raptors, averaging seven points a night and playing just over 16 minutes per game. Davis has shot the ball well too, currently at 39 percent from beyond the arc.

Despite his strong play through his first half-season in the NBA, Davis was passed up for the 2020 Rising Stars game, and it’s hard not to feel like Toronto’s rookie guard was hard done by. He’s done more than enough to this point to have earned a spot in the league’s showcase of young talent.

Mostly a popularity contest now, rather than an actual reflection of who is playing the best basketball, All-Star weekend tends to favour high-profile players, of which Davis is not yet considered. For the most part, the rookie Raptor plays his role (very well might I add) and allows his play to do the talking. While it’s unfortunate he won’t be a part of All-Star weekend in 2020, chances are Davis will be playing in the Rising Stars game in the future, perhaps as early as next season.

Who was selected that shouldn’t have been?

The Charlotte Hornets have three players on Team USA – THREE!

The Hornets are 16-32 on the year, so dare I say their rising stars aren’t exactly piling up the victories. Meanwhile, over in Toronto, Terence Davis is playing meaningful minutes for the defending champs. Again, not too shabby considering the entire league passed on Davis on draft night.

Devonte’ Graham is exciting and deserving of a spot in the Rising Stars exhibition, the same goes for Miles Bridges. However, P.J. Washington being selected is excessive. You could also apply the same logic to Golden State’s Eric Paschall.

Both the Hornets and Warriors reside near the bottom of their respective conferences and while the players listed above have been good in 2019-20, none of them have played the type of role Davis has. Sure, they may play more minutes and average more points than Davis – doing so on bad teams – but Toronto has the third-best record in the league, and Terence Davis has had a major impact. Just think about all the injuries the Raptors have had to navigate thus far.

The voting is done, the decisions have been made. But as a fan of both the Raptors and Davis himself, it’s a shame the rookie’s hard work wasn’t recognized by those responsible for selecting participants for the Rising Stars game.

Is Team USA vs. Team World the right format?

If the NBA wasn’t married to the current format of the US vs. the World, Terence Davis may very well have been selected for the Rising Stars game. Nevermind the fact that seemingly some players (i.e. Luka Doncic) can play in both it and the All-Star game. That shouldn’t be a thing, but who am I to say?

Perhaps the league will look at different formats in the years to come, but it’s hard to imagine the wrongful omission of Terence Davis will be enough to get the league’s attention.

Fortunately for Raptor fans, Terence Davis is not your average rookie. Most young players would let such a snub eat away at them which could adversely impact their game. Not Davis. He knows he deserved a better fate from the voting authority, but don’t for a second think he’s going to let it take away from what he’s been doing this season for the Toronto Raptors.

This is merely a bump in the road for TDII, and odds are he’ll be better because of it.