Johnny Davis Emphasizes Defense in First Wizards Press Conference

Davis emphasizes defense in first press conference originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

WASHINGTON -- The Wizards need help on the defensive end and hope they have found some in their 2022 first-round pick, Johnny Davis, who arrives in Washington with a reputation as a tough, two-way guard. Based on his introductory press conference, which was held Tuesday at Capital One Arena, he is very focused on doing just that.

Davis, 20, was asked plenty about his defensive skill set and he brought it up himself whenever he got the chance. That led to a common theme for his first meeting with the media in Washington.

"Defense," Davis said when asked for what part of his game he takes pride in. "I have an offensive game, too, but on the defensive end you can always control your effort and intensity. You can never control whether the ball is going to go in the hoop. Defensively, there’s where I hang my hat."

Davis said he took a liking to defense from an early age. He recalls one of his first basketball coaches, all the way back in elementary school, who would devote a large portion of practices to defensive drills. Davis and his teammates would get into a defensive stance and practice their footwork.

From there, Davis says defense has been "hardwired" into him. Growing up, he was also a standout football player, which gave him a high tolerance for playing through contact. He continued to improve as a defender and now sees it as a defining element of his game.

Davis is happy to assist the Wizards on that end.

"I know Coach [Wes] Unseld [Jr.] hasn’t been here too long, but I like how they really emphasize defense, especially in mini-camp. They’re really hard on us about that. I think I’ll fit right in," Davis said.

Davis spoke to the media after participating in the Wizards' Summer League mini-camp. He is training with the team before going to Las Vegas where he should be the focal point of their Summer League roster.

During the 5-on-5 scrimmage, Davis made a few standout plays during the portion media was admitted to. He contested a corner three, then raced down the court past the defense to score an easy fastbreak layup. He also threw a lob in transition.

While he preached defense on Tuesday, Davis is a versatile player who has a chance to impact the Wizards in a few different areas. He is very good at creating his own shot off the dribble, a big reason why he averaged 19.7 points per game last season as a sophomore at Wisconsin.

Davis said he got good at ball-handling and play-making by emphasizing head-to-head competition in his offseason training, rather than individual drills. He wanted to have his shots contested by real defenders to emulate game situations.

Davis is also an excellent rebounder, especially for a guard. He's 6-foot-5, yet last year he averaged 8.2 rebounds for the Badgers.

"Definitely a lot of instincts, just knowing where the ball is being shot from and where it’s going to bounce or the depth of the shot," Davis said of his approach to rebounding. "But also, I give a lot of credit to my teammates because they did a lot more boxing out than I did so I would have an open late to just run and go get the ball."

Davis now has a new group of teammates and has already connected with a few of them. He saw Bradley Beal at the team's facility and introduced himself. After he was drafted, he also received text messages from a host of Wizards players including Rui Hachimura, Kyle Kuzma and Corey Kispert.

As for playing and living in D.C., Davis knows the area fairly well having spent several Thanksgivings in the District with family growing up. He is looking forward to visiting some museums and also trying more restaurants, particularly those that specialize in seafood. He may also have to stop by a local Taco Bell after appearing in a commercial for them during the draft process. Davis said his favorite menu item is the chalupa.

The Wizards hope he is in D.C. for a while and ideally can help fix their struggling defense along the way.