Terence Davis’ Advanced Numbers
As an undrafted rookie, Terence Davis has dazzled since being picked up by the Toronto Raptors during NBA Summer League in August. So much so, that he could well be considered a late runner for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award.
Davis is just one of many in a long line of late-round and undrafted picks for the Raptors who have blossomed into role players and more, but that doesn’t make him just another body. Just like Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, and Pascal Siakam, he’s one of the kind.
In his first season in the NBA, Davis is averaging 8.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 points per game, shooting 49-percent from the field, 43-percent from three, and 90-percent from the free-throw line. In his rookie season, Davis is merely a good shooting stretch from entering the territory of the 50/40/90 club.
It’s not just his raw numbers that stick out, though. His advanced numbers paint a story of a player who is already positively impacting a good team. In some cases, that’s not how rookies work out. But not Davis.
Davis ranks second in PIPM for all rookies at +1.31, behind only Zion Williamson, who has played significantly fewer games than Davis. His defensive numbers are just above zero, but his O-PIPM is up at +1.24. Overall, he ranks near the likes of Trae Young, Fred VanVleet, and Joe Ingles.
As for ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus, Davis ranks eleventh in the entire league at +4.12. The data may not be as reliable as PIPM, but considering that Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and James Harden all rank in the top 5 for both metrics, it’s fair to say that both have a reason to be trusted.
That’s a roundabout way of me saying that Terence Davis is as good as the numbers suggest.