NEW YORK CITY — Just a few days after his Maine Celtics season came to an end, JD Davison sat in the Celtics’ locker room at Madison Square Garden and reflected on what he had accomplished.
A G League MVP.
A new career-high in scoring of 25.1 per game.
Playoff numbers that jump off the page: 34.7 points on 52.8% shooting alongside 13.3 assists.
“We didn’t get to the ultimate goal as a team,” Davison told CelticsBlog matter-of-factly, but added that it was a very special season that saw players help each other accomplish critical individual goals.
For Davison, one of those goals was the G League’s Most Valuable Player accolade, which he stunningly learned he had won after the team’s first postseason win.
“I wanted to win MVP,” Davison said Tuesday. “That was one of my goals.”
The Maine Celtics’ pursuit of a G League championship fell just short
On Sunday, the Maine Celtics were eliminated at the hands of Mac McClung and the Osceola Magic, their season ending in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.
Two days later, the Celtics’ two-ways — Davison, Drew Peterson, and Miles Norris — rejoined the team for the final four games of the season. One of the two-way players could be converted to a fully guaranteed deal for the playoffs and secure the team’s 15th roster spot, but that’s not guaranteed. The answer to that question will come in the final days of the NBA season, which concludes on Sunday.
Davison is used to being around the Celtics; it’s his third year with the organization, and he’s said himself he’s become a lot more talkative and connected with the other guys. College basketball has been a major source of discussion.
A close friendship with Jaylen Brown has helped, too. Brown took Davison under his wing in his first season, the two bonded by proximite geographic origins; Brown is from Marietta, Georgia, and Davison from Letohatchee, Alabama.
Brown grinned upon seeing Davison in the Celtics’ locker room pregame at MSG.
“Great season, my boy,” Brown said to Davison. “Onto bigger and better things.”
Then, upon learning Davison’s ridiculous postseason averages, the 2024 Finals MVP grinned and jokingly declared: “He learned that from me!”
For JD Davison, the success of his Maine Celtics teammates was of utmost importance
When Davison reflects on the G League season, his biggest point of pride is the opportunities his Maine teammates received. Few G League point guards have facilitated at the clip that Davison has, and few have been a part of so much winning.
Davison recognizes that.
“In the G League, everybody wants to score the ball,” Davison said. “But if you win, everybody wins.”
Baylor Scheierman spent the first half of the season in Maine before breaking out in March with the parent club. Scheierman seemed poised to thrive in Boston when his G League tenure was over. But, during his time in Maine, he routinely expressed his gratitude for that opportunity, too.
“I really enjoy being up here,” Scheierman said in November. “I really enjoy the team. We just play the right way.”
Donald Carey Jr, who was on the Maine Celtics at the beginning of the year, got a contract playing overseas in New Zealand. Phillip Wheeler signed a Ten-Day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers last month before returning to Maine during the postseason.
“Seeing guys get these opportunities and just seeing I helped out a little bit, it’s a great feeling for me, honestly,” Davison said. “Coming in my third year, being a vet as they would say. I talked to the guys more, and I think I helped a lot.”
This season’s Maine Celtics group was particularly connected. Davison said he and his teammates will be at each other’s weddings. Their group chat remains active, as they continue to hope that big opportunities come each others’ way.
For a lot of the players, the next aspiration is a two-way contract, even a training camp invite — any chance to show NBA teams what they’re capable of. For others, it might be opportunities in the EuroLeague or other competitive overseas leagues.
Davison hopes that the team’s success this past season will help make everyone’s dreams a reality.
“We won more games than a lot of people,” he said. “Everybody can get an opportunity just because we won, we played together, we played defense. That helped us a lot. Everybody was locked in. Everybody knew their roles.”
As for Davison himself?
The third-year two-way player is looking forward to the final stretch of the regular season, where he may get some run with the Celtics.
But he’s not looking too far ahead to a potential roster spot or next season — at least not yet.
“Right now?” he said. “Just be where my feet are.”
