Celtics Two-Way Guard Mindful Of ‘End Goal’ After G League MVP Breakout

Boston Celtics guard JD Davison had an impressive breakthrough as the star of the organization’s G League affiliate.

Davison seized his opportunity to develop, shine and earn more league-wide recognition than he’s ever netted since being drafted in the second round (53rd overall) of the 2022 NBA Draft. It worked wonders for Davison, who averaged a career-high 26.5 points with 5.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists with Maine, en route to being named the 2024-25 Kia G League MVP.

Now feeling motivated and confident, Davison took some time to reflect on the greater overall “end goal” moving forward: Securing an NBA roster spot.

“Knowing where I want to get to, if you want to be a point guard in this league, you gotta be able to talk and lead the guys,” Davison told reporters Wednesday, per CLNS Media. “So, I’m just knowing that I got to do that, night in and night out. I got to break that and try to be the best I can be.”

Davison continued: “Everybody’s journey is different. I take my days, day by day, step by step. Try to stay in the moment, whether I’m playing in the G League or whether I’m up with the big club. So I’m just trying to stay in the moment. Just try to be me at all times. So just trying to go out there and have fun, just knowing the end goal.”

It hasn’t been easy for the past three seasons for Davison. The Celtics have been stacked at the guard position ever since they welcomed the Alabama product to Boston, and with Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard all well-established as premier pieces in head coach Joe Mazzulla’s rotations, there still isn’t much room for Davison. The Celtics have primarily allowed Davison to collect his NBA experience in garbage time, which only does so much for a player’s development with an organization.

Davison helped guide Maine toward a deep playoff push last season that fell short in the G League Finals against the Oklahoma City Blue. This season, Davison is back at it again as the third-year guard scored a team-high 32 points with a career-high 17 assists to lead Maine to the Eastern Conference Finals.

“I think I matured a lot,” Davison said. “Just being on time or whatever that’d be. Just get in, try to get to stretching before I get on the court. So I think I matured a lot (more) than my first two years.”

The Celtics, from afar, have kept a close eye on Davison’s strides even though he’s only logged 58 minutes across 13 appearances with Boston this season.

“His hard work and team-first attitude from day one with both the Boston and Maine Celtics have led to this achievement,” Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said, per a team-provided press release. “JD has embraced the idea of continuously improving, and we are thrilled for him.”

Davison will next aim to get Maine back to the G League Finals, in hopes that the crew will get the job done this go-around before the title-defending Celtics embark on their chase for a championship repeat in the upcoming weeks.