With the NBA season being suspended indefinitely, we're taking the next couple of weeks to roll out our Raptors Report Cards on each key member of this season's team. The plan? Take a closer look at how everyone performed, from Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam to Terence Davis and Chris Boucher.
Next up: Terence Davis.
Most casual Toronto Raptors fans have no clue who Dewan Hernandez is. For those who are unfamiliar, Hernandez was the 59th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Toronto's only selection in last year's draft.
Hernandez sprained his ankle in December in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers and hasn't been seen since.
Why is that noteworthy? Because Terence Davis, who almost every Raptors fan is aware of, would probably be the answer most would give to the question, "Who did the Raptors pick in the 2019 draft?" Davis, however, wasn't drafted by the Raptors. Rather, he signed with the team as an undrafted, unrestricted free agent after one game with the Denver Nuggets at Summer League.
Davis showed promise in the preseason and it didn't take long for Raptors fans to realize that head coach Nick Nurse would have to find minutes for the new kid on the block.
In his first NBA game on opening night, Davis came off the bench giving Toronto a much needed shot in the arm with five points, five rebounds and two steals in 15 minutes to help them get past the New Orleans Pelicans.
Since then, Davis has done something no other Raptor has — played in every single game this season.
It has been well-documented that the Raptors have seen their fair share of injuries and multiple players have stepped up in the time of need. But durability should be celebrated in the era of load management, and Davis has been someone to count on every time Nick Nurse was ready to set his lineup for the night.
Davis' per 36 averages of 16.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists are on par with fellow rookies RJ Barrett, Tyler Herro and Eric Paschall, all of whom were selected to the Rising Stars Challenge.
But like any rookie, consistency plagued Davis throughout the season, so much so that Nurse called him out for lack of effort after a midseason loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Davis bounced back the next night in Charlotte with his best game of the year to that point.
It was the seminal moment in Davis' season. Every player gets chewed out by the head coach from time to time, but to be able to take the criticism and bounce back the very next day showed why the 22-year-old is so highly regarded by the organization.
“He is one of those players that has something to prove,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri said of Davis. “He’s tough. He is one of those young guys who have come in who understands hard work, winning and teamwork.
"He understands bigger teammates. He understands the environment. That is going to help him.”
The pause in the season put a pause in Davis' rookie year, but to this point, he's passed in most departments and exceeded expectations to what he could bring to the team. However, he's a rookie and rookie mistakes do show up from time to time, and that's reflected in his mark.
Grade: B+
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