IT WAS a magnificent individual campaign from Maine Celtics guard JD Davison, who stepped into stardom by winning the Most Valuable Player award for the 2024/25 season in deserving fashion.

Averaging 25.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game, there were no better players this season than the 22-year-old. He showed why he was a consensus five-star recruit during his collegiate career with the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he announced himself as one of the top point guards.

After joining the Boston Celtics with the 53rd overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, he has spent much of his time with the team’s G League affiliate in Maine, steadily building over his first two campaigns before breaking out as a superstar of the competition over the past six months.

Although he does lack size at six-foot-one, it is his skill and speed that gives him the upper hand, often bursting past opponents and finishing at the cup. Although he was already a solid scorer last season, he became more aggressive with ball in hand, averaging a career-high in field goal attempts and less assists as he looked to firm as the number one scoring option for the team.

Although a capable long range shooter, he does not rely on three-pointers to generate offence, often taking his defender off the dribble and driving to the cup, where he has an excellent feel for how to avoid the defence.

He also was more effective shooting the ball, as increased by a bump in his true shooting percentage up to 59.9 per cent, taking much smarter shots and showing much more patience with ball in hand. He was one of the toughest matchup for perimeter defenders, with opposing players struggling to stay in front and contest his shots.

He showed his ceiling with several matches with 30-plus points, but when he was looking aggressive with ball in hand, he rarely let it come at the cost of his playmaking, still making the right plays and freeing up teammates with the defensive attention he demands with such a high skillset.

His efforts were rewarded by Boston, who gave him some late-season minutes in some of their closing games for the regular fixture. Davison even got some playing time in the Celtics most recent playoff victory, posting two rebounds and two assists in less than four minutes of court time.

The Celtics have a team option on Davison’s contract for the 2025/26 season, and he has surely done enough to justify the team picking it up. If he can continue to produce at such a high level in the G League, his NBA opportunities should increase too.