LA CROSSE — The end goal of playing one season of basketball with the Wisconsin Herd was getting Johnny Davis back in the NBA.
The professional road had been a rocky one for Davis, a Central High School graduate who was selected 10th by the Washington Wizards in the 2022 draft.
The carrot at the end of the stick was a chance to make the roster of the Milwaukee Bucks. The hope was that there might be a spot of Davis if the Bucks moved Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the trade that sent him to Miami didn’t create that opening.
That hardly deems the stint with the Herd as unsuccessful. While he never received a real chance at playing time with the Wizards and dealt with injuries that left him at less than 100 percent, playing in Oshkosh was an important step for the former Wisconsin Badger and Big Ten Player of the Year.
“It low-key gave me my confidence back,” the 6-foot-4 guard said Monday between sessions of a Davis Brothers Basketball Camp at Central. “I was just able to go out there and play.
“When I was in Washington, the only time I saw the floor was when we were down by 40 in the last two minutes of the game. Being able to play team basketball and being on the court when it matters was a lot of fun and brought a lot of joy back to the game for me.”
The business side of the game can sometimes erase that joy, so it is important that Davis has that as he prepares to play overseas for the first time.
Davis will leave Wednesday to begin a 10-month stay with the Glint Manisa Basket club of the Turkish Basketball League.
He averaged 15.6 points and 5.9 rebounds for the Herd — his third G League team after stops with the Capital City Go-Go and Westchester Knicks — during regular-season games and said the atmosphere also helped keep his confidence and outlook positive.
“Weekends are insane, packed,” said Davis, who counted Alex Antetokounmpo, Pete Nance, Cormac Ryan and Mark Sears as teammates there. “People are roaring and screaming. I’ve never seen a G League environment like that.
“Having fans like that brings a different type of energy to the game and makes you really hungry to win and play a good game.”
Davis family and friends were able to become regular faces at Herd games, and that was a welcomed change during a transitional season for a player who scored 2,158 points during his Central career.
That won’t be the case in Turkey, however. Davis will make the trip alone due to the political atmosphere in the area, and that will help sharpen his focus on the mission of getting another crack at the NBA.
“I’m happy to go overseas and experience a new country, which isn’t something I haven’t experienced before,” he said. “It’s a win-win situation for me (with basketball and travel) other than I won’t have my family there with me.
“But there will be some time off, and they can visit.”
Davis said returning to the Herd was an option, but he was limited in working out a sufficient contract. With his experience in three seasons of NBA play, he is no longer eligible for a two-way contract. There are also Exhibit 10 contracts available, but those often lead to chances at two-way contracts.
He is also looking forward to what he has been told is a league that is focused on team play.
“I just have to go over there and play good basketball,” Davis said. “I have to play the way I can play and play the way people want to see me play.
“Hopefully, that will get me a call, a contract and get me back over here.”
