Johnny Davis confident he could make an ‘immediate impact’ with the Knicks

Johnny Davis is ready to make an immediate impact with the Knicks.

The University of Wisconsin star, said Monday that he’s basically the missing piece in the Knicks defensive game ahead of Thursday’s NBA Draft.

“I did meet with them at the Combine in Chicago,” said Davis on a Zoom call. “I feel that Tom Thibodeau is really high on defensive guys so I feel like if I was to get drafted by the Knicks I could come in and make an impact immediately on the defensive end especially.”

Averaging 19.7 points and 8.2 rebounds heading toward being named to the AP All-America First-Team, Davis knows he could land with New York on Thursday  unless they trade up, possibly with the Sacramento Kings for the No. 4 pick.

The Knicks, pick at No. 11, are seeking a point guard and already have several wings including Evan Fournier, R.J. Barrett, Immanuel Quickle and Quentin Grimes. NBA skills trainer Andrew Moran, however, feels like Davis will bring immediate value to whoever drafts him, both offensively and defensively.

“Davis a prototypical NBA wing”

“I think Johnny Davis brings a lot of value,” Moran said in a phone interview. “First of all, his arms are long, his hands are big, he has great instincts. He moves off the ball. His mid-range is really, really, really good. I like his mid-range a lot. And then his 3-point shot is good. He’ll have some improvement but when you get to the league that’s definitely going to improve. Teams have great player development so that guy’s going to bring value immediately on offense and defense.”

Six-foot-five Davis is expected to go somewhere in that draft range as a prototypical NBA wing, according to ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla.

“Johnny Davis is a great story of improvement,” he said. “He wasn’t highly recruited but he had the talent, athleticism and toughness to grow into a great college player and Big 10 MVP. Those attributes fit the prototypical NBA wing.”