Nate Oats reveals latest on JD Davison NBA Draft decision

Alabama head coach Nate Oats joined the Field of 68 podcast and noted that his “gut feeling” is that freshman JD Davison will enter the 2022 NBA draft, and that he’s still getting late first-round or early second-round feedback from the league.

Oats acknowledged that Davison’s freshman season could have been better but said NBA teams are still drafting based on his upside alone, and reiterated that even higher projected picks have holes in their games. Oats said it’s tough to tell a player that if they’re guaranteed first-round money not to take it, so he’s going to suck it up and support whatever is best for Davison.

Davison, a former five-star recruit out of Alabama, was ranked No. 11 overall in the Class of 2021, per the On3 Consensus and was the No. 1 point guard in his class. He received offers from the likes of Michigan, Kansas, Louisville, LSU and Mississippi State coming out of high school.

He averaged 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game for the Crimson Tide this season, appearing in 33 games on nearly 26 minutes during his lone season in Tuscaloosa. Davison’s most impressive outing this season came in early December in Alabama’s 91-82 win over Gonzaga, scoring 20 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Forwards Alex Tchikou and Keon Ambrose-Hylton have already entered the transfer portal, and freshman guard Jusaun Holt followed not long after. While the trio sat toward the back of the bench for the majority of the season, losing a top-five scorer and one of the best sixth-man/rotational starter in the country like Davison would be detrimental for Oats and the Crimson Tide.

Whatever he may decide, the deadline for Davison to enter the 2022 NBA Draft is April 24 and the NCAA deadline to withdraw is June 1.