Earning a two-way deal should be at the forefront of Johnny Davis' mind after the Wisconsin Herd acquired his rights recently. While Davis would love to make the jump from the G League immediately back to a standard contract, this will more than likely be a process. If Davis impresses, the Milwaukee Bucks could consider offering him a two-way deal, which could lead to further opportunities.
Johnny Davis has a golden opportunity to make NBA return
Two-way players are never set in stone, as teams could change them at any given moment. Currently, the Milwaukee Bucks have three of them under contract in Pete Nance, Jamaree Bouyea, and rookie Mark Sears. If any of them fail to impress in the G League, where they will more than likely spend most of their season, the Milwaukee Bucks almost certainly won't be hesitant to make a change.
Given that he has just three years of NBA service under his belt, Davis will indeed be eligible for a two-way contract this season. Securing that will be phase one of getting back to the league on a standard contract, as the Bucks have shown that they aren't afraid to promote two-way players. Following their youth overhaul this summer, they certainly won't stop now if someone proves they are worth it.
AJ Green and Ryan Rollins are perfect examples of two-way players who proved to be worthy of standard deals by performing well in the G League. Those were two hidden gems, with Green coming to the Bucks undrafted and Rollins as a former second-rounder. Davis is a former 10th overall pick, so one could argue he has even more potential to become a legitimate player.
Davis is still just 23 years old. Even if the Wisconsin native didn't show much growth during his time in the NBA, he wasn't given much of a shot, to be fair. Now, he'll have to work his way back up the ladder if he wants to make it back to the big leagues. The fact that he might have a shot to do so with the team in the state he grew up in could certainly give him a little extra motivation.
Davis should also motivate Nance, Bouyea, and Sears as they look to not only keep their two-way contracts but also work their way to the NBA as well. A little in-house competition never hurt.
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