RJ Davis’ rise to G League stardom

The ‘flow state’, when a basketball player enters the zone and seemingly can’t miss a shot, is the real thing. Just ask RJ Davis. Former North Carolina guard, now in his first professional season in the G League with the South Bay Lakersreached that peak on the way to lowering his career high 45 points by the end of January.

For a player who was known for scoring during his days as a Tar Heel, being in that flow state brings Davis back to shooting hoops in his own backyard growing up.

“The way I describe it is like when you’re in the park or just in your backyard,” Davis told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “It’s just you and you’re just out there shooting. You’re just counting down like five, four, three, two, one, and you’re on your own. That’s the feeling of being in the zone, but you feel like every time you shoot, you’re going to make it.”

That game was special for Davis. He led the South Bay as the primary point guard and ball handler all season, and took it well when he was occasionally benched amid assignments from the Los Angeles Lakers.

One of the key areas of his game that he has shown is his ability to be a leading playmaker and initiate the attack. That’s what South Bay head coach Zach Guthrie asked of him. As he works to find the perfect balance between scoring and assisting, it was a nice reminder that he can put up points in a hurry if the game calls for it.

He hit the Salt Lake City Stars, South Bay’s opponent in that game, with a barrage of jumpers and hard drives. He did most of his damage by getting to the free throw line just four times. He missed just seven shots (15 of 22 from the field, 6 of 9 from 3-point range).

“Every shot I got back, I knew it was going in. I felt good after the release, and my mindset, I think I was in the zone. I was in a flow state,” Davis said. “I didn’t think too much about whether the shot was going to go in, or whether I was going to hit or miss, it was just about flowing on offense.”

RJ Davis finds balance in the G League

When RJ Davis finished his college career at North Carolina after the 2024–25 season, he left as No. 2 on the all-time scoring list behind only Tyler Hansbrough. His college career high of 42 points that fell in February 2024 was the UNC home record for most points scored at the Smith Center.

On the ACC all-time scoring list, Davis is No. 3 behind Hansbrough and former Duke star JJ Reddick, respectively. He left UNC with a career average of 15.6 points per game, peaking during the 2023-24 season with 21.2 points.

Davis has always been a big scoring threat, but to succeed at the professional level and win the NBA, he knows he’ll need to show that ability to be a facilitator. It’s something that’s always been a part of his game, and he’s grateful to get the chance to showcase it.

“It’s come a long way. I think everybody knows me for scoring. It wasn’t until I got to training camp with the Lakers and the South Bay that I kind of wanted to show that I can not only score, I can play, especially for my size,” Davis said. “You’re going to play with other guys who also know how to score goals. So, just trying to fit into that playmaker role, playmaker role, just another dog on the floor.”

Davis had two games of double-digit assists this season, dishing out 10 in both of those games. His second double-digit assist was part of his first career triple-double as a pro. He had 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He also had some explosive games. He scored 20 or more points in 18 of the 32 games he played for South Bay.

Davis played alongside Kobe Bufkin for most of the season before Bufkin signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, so he’s used to playing alongside another ball player and someone who can certainly put the ball in the basket. For him, adapting to whatever the team needs from him at point guard is the key to finding the balance between knowing when to be a playmaker and knowing when to catch his own shot.

“I think for me it’s about staying aggressive. I think that’s helped me determine if I’m able to shoot, pass, find open guys or create for myself. I think being aggressive allows me to not only open up space for myself, but for my teammates,” Davis said. “You just understand the flow of the offense, you understand if this guy is down, you try to look at him. At the same time, I just take what the defense gives me and stay aggressive at all times.”

RJ Davis’ Road to the NBA

Like most players in the G League, RJ Davis has dreams of making it to the NBA. He went undrafted in the 2025 NBA draft and stuck with the Lakers during summer league. He played a total of seven summer league games with the Lakers between Las Vegas and San Francisco.

Davis averaged 6.1 points, 1.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Overall, he didn’t shoot particularly well, connecting on just 38.1 percent of his shots. But just short of his performance in Las Vegas, he shot 42.3 percent. His summer league stint was enough for the Lakers to invite him to training camp, where he played in five preseason games.

He looked much more comfortable during the preseason, averaging 8.6 points and shooting exactly 50 percent overall and from the 3-point line. During his time with the Lakers in training camp, the organization identified key aspects of Davis’ game that he would need to focus on in order to make it to the NBA.

“All my life I’ve known how to score, so now I’m just doing the little things that other guys don’t want to do. Coming into training camp with the Lakers, you’ve got your Lucases, LeBrons, ARs, so I’m just kind of a pest for my size, using my size as an advantage, going 94 feet, fighting through screens, doing the work,” Davisdir said. “At the same time, just being able to play. I feel like I’ve been doing that. … I just have to continue to do that consistently. Just show teams that I’m able to do both, score and pass.”

Through 32 games with South Bay, Davis averaged 19.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists. He shot 44.9 percent from the field, 41.2 percent from the 3-point line, and 87.6 percent from the free throw line.

His play earned him a spot in the next G League game in 2026 as part of NBA All-Star Weekend. Davis will report for Team White coached by Isaiah Fox, head coach of the Salt Lake City Stars. Every player selected for the next game has a good deal of G League experience, either as a contract player, assigned to an NBA team, or has played regularly in the league.

For Davis, his early experience in the G League showed him that it was a good place to develop and keep his name on the radar of NBA teams and the ultimate goal.

“I think the G is perfect. It’s a dogfight every night. The competitiveness is at an all-time high. You’ve got the two-way streak going down, the assignments going down and sometimes you have to change a little bit and adjust,” Davis said. “Whether you play a lot of minutes and then your role changes a little bit, adjusting to that gives you a little overview of what the league looks like.”

“But at the same time, I feel like G is going to humiliate you,” Davis continued. “You can be 30 years old and then the team comes back and now it’s a tie ball game. It’s a never-ending game. It’s up and down, it’s a fast-paced game, but that’s what you need. That’s what you want. Because at the end of the day, it brings out the best in you.”