A lottery pick is great to have come the day of the NBA Draft. It doesn’t mean that a productive player is guaranteed to be coming to the roster though. A recent example of a player who hasn’t performed well despite being drafted high is Johnny Davis. A somewhat recent example of another is Mo Bamba. Both were traded before this year’s trade deadline and subsequently released. Mo Bamba and Johnny Davis have not resurfaced in the NBA since but have now been acquired to play with G League teams.
Two Former Recent Lottery Picks Acquired By G League Teams
Johnny Davis Joining The Westchester Knicks
Let’s start with Davis, the more recent lottery draft pick. The recently turned 23-year-old was selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. After a stellar sophomore season at Wisconsin, the Wizards certainly thought they drafted someone who could be a cornerstone of future contending Washington teams.
Starting with his rookie season, it became fairly evident that wouldn’t be the case. Now in his third season, Davis appeared in 112 games (11 starts) for the Wizards. Playing just 11.4 minutes per game for his career, he has posted pedestrian averages of 3.5 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.6 assists. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard has shot 39.7% from the field, 27.3% from beyond the arc, and 56.1% from the foul line for his career.
On the day of the trade deadline, Davis was involved in a three-team deal that shipped him to the Memphis Grizzlies. A couple weeks later, he was waived without appearing in a game for them. As per the team’s social media, Davis has been acquired by the G League’s Westchester Knicks.
The Westchester Knicks have acquired Johnny Davis via waivers.
— Westchester Knicks (@wcknicks) March 1, 2025
Still young, Davis will look to regather some of the value in the G League that he once had. In 2021-22 with the Badgers, he was a First Team All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year.
Mo Bamba Is Off To The Birmingham Squadron
Bamba was selected in the lottery four years before Davis. The 7-foot center is still relatively young ( turns 27 on May 12). He was taken with the sixth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic out of Texas.
He is now in his seventh season, but only one of them (2021-22) saw Bamba utilized as a full-time starter. That season, he made 69 of his 101 career starts. For his career over 360 games, the 2018 lottery pick has averaged 6.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 1.3 blocks. He has shot 47.7% from the field, 35.7% from three-point territory, and 68.1% from the charity stripe.
Playing this season for the Los Angeles Clippers, Bamba was traded a few days before the trade deadline to the Utah Jazz. His new team gave him a very brief stint, as he was waived the following day.
The idea of Bamba being a solid NBA player is understandable. Seven-footers who can extend beyond the three-point line are highly valued in today’s game. It just never fully materialized for Bamba, and he has never reached anywhere near his anticipated ceiling. Much like Davis, he’ll now try to show NBA teams that he deserves another chance while in the G League. The Birmingham Squadron of the G League (affiliate of the New Orleans Pelicans) announced that he has been acquired by the team.
What’s that one song again?🎧
Welcome to the 205, Mo Bamba! pic.twitter.com/FTTzjjX6Kl
— Birmingham Squadron (@GleagueSquadron) February 28, 2025
Playing just one season for the Longhorns before declaring for the draft, Bamba was named Second Team All-Big 12 in 2017-18.
Photo credit: © Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
