Oklahoma City Thunder: A closer look at recent signee Tyler Davis

Despite going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, Texas A&M product Tyler Davis showcased his skills on the court for the Brooklyn Nets and will now get an opportunity to do the same for the Thunder after signing a two-way contract earlier this month.

On Aug. 13, the Oklahoma City Thunder, looking to fill out their final two-way contract roster spot, inked a deal with 6’10” Texas A&M product Tyler Davis.

Davis is an undrafted rookie who averaged 11 points and 4.5 rebounds in four games with the Brooklyn Nets during the NBA Summer League. He is one of two players within the Thunder organization to receive a two-way contract, joining Deonte Burton, who signed with the team in July.

The two-way contract allows Davis and Burton a chance to showcase their skills in the G League with the Oklahoma City Blue while also being eligible to spend up to 45 days in the NBA with the Thunder. The league allows just two two-way contracts per team, but the opportunity afforded to these players can significantly impact not only their basketball careers, but their livelihoods as well.

Barring injury, Davis’ chances of making the Thunder roster anytime soon are slim. With the signing of Nerlens Noel in July to a two-year deal, OKC added another proven veteran to go alongside star center Steven Adams, but the signing of Davis gives the Thunder a young and talented player who can be molded into a future contributor.

If his play at Texas A&M was any indication, those days might not be too far away.

As a member of the Aggies, Davis was the leader of a team that qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2016 and 2018. This past season’s Aggies upset the North Carolina Tar Heels to advance to the Sweet 16. Davis scored 18 points in that game before dropping in a team-high 24 points in a 99-72 season-ending loss to Michigan just four days later.

On the season, Davis averaged a team-leading 14.9 points per game to go along with 8.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. For his career at Texas A&M, he averaged 13.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 61.4 percent from the field.

His contribution to the Aggies over the last three seasons put Tyler Davis in the spotlight. During his freshman campaign, he earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors. He earned Second Team All-SEC honors during his sophomore season and First Team All-SEC honors during his last season.

Making the Thunder roster will not be easy, but Davis has shown a willingness to work hard to achieve his goal. He did so in high school, dropping over 50 pounds during the course of a year to become a more physical and athletic player. He did it again as a junior at Texas A&M and talked about his journey with The Beat at Texas A&M:

Davis is a young and hungry player with a willingness to learn and the drive to become a bona fide NBA star. For one reason or another, the Nets didn’t see enough in Davis to warrant offering him a spot on their G League affiliate’s roster.

The Thunder, however, willingly took a chance.

Now, Davis will have an opportunity to impress the Thunder brass. As a member of the OKC Blue, Davis slides into the role once held by Dakari Johnson, who was traded late last month for Rodney Purvis, who was in turn traded to the Boston Celtics for Abdel Nader.

Davis is set up in an excellent position to make something happen and realize his dream of playing in the NBA. It won’t be easy, but if Noel opts out after this season, the path to the NBA might become much clearer for the undrafted rookie.

Until then, it falls squarely on Davis’ shoulders. Does he have what it takes to make the jump from the G League to the NBA? Only time will tell, but it’s obvious with the signing that there is something the organization saw in Davis that it liked.

Now it’s his turn to prove them right.