Hailing from Letohatchee, a small town in Alabama’s Lowndes County with a population of just over 1,100 people, Celtics rookie guard JD Davison is familiar with living in a close-knit community like Portland.
“I do all the same things here as I did in my hometown,” Davison said. “I really just play basketball and enjoy my family, which makes it easy for me to be me regardless of where I’m at.”
Boston’s lone selection in the 2022 NBA Draft, Davison will be on a Two-Way contract, along with Mfiondu Kabengele, for his first season as a pro. Davison and the Maine Celtics will open the season this Friday, Nov. 4, at the Portland Expo. BUY TICKETS.
While the goal for all NBA G League players is to eventually spend as much time in the NBA as possible, Davison will still be looking to get better each day and develop all aspects of his game while putting on a show for the fans at the Expo with his court vision, rim-grazing dunks and explosive open-court athleticism.
Only a handful of rookies in each draft class are selected by teams with true championship aspirations – coming off an NBA Finals run, Boston is primed to position themselves as contenders yet again with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown at the helm. Along with the Celtics’ pair of All-Star wings, 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White make up one of the NBA’s most formidable backcourts. While with Boston during Summer League, preseason and the start of the regular season, Davison was able to pick up on a few things spending so much time around a group of veterans trying to hang Banner Eighteen.
“Going into the game with the defensive mindset that no one’s gonna score on you, no one’s gonna get by you, just having that mindset is big,” said Davison. “And those guys, they go out there and they know their role where, at the end of the game they know who needs the ball and they know where all the other team’s players are gonna be. They’re point guards too, so I’m just watching those guys and learning from them.”
Davison is by far the youngest player on the Maine Celtics, having just turned 20 years old in October. He will lead a Maine Celtics team from the point guard position – from Tim Frazier to Chris Clemons, the Maine franchise has a great history of developing young ball handlers. From a pure athletic standpoint, JD Davison is ready to put on a show at the Portland Expo this season.
The Maine Celtics play two games at the Expo this weekend, including a family-friendly matinee on Sunday, Nov. 6. Maine will play a full, 24-game home schedule this season, and all tickets can be purchased by visiting MaineCeltics.com.
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