Davis has landed in Goyang.
The Goyang Sono Skingunners will face the Wonju DB Promy in the opening game of the 2023-2024 regular season at the Goyang Sono Arena on Feb. 22.
KBL newcomer Sono 토토사이트 got off to a strong start with its inauguration ceremony last September. The team is working hard to fulfill the expectations of its fans in time for the start of the regular season.
Initially, Sono planned to start the season with a foreign player combination of Jarrod Jones and Anthony Bennett. However, when Bennett, the highly-touted former No. 1 overall pick in the NBA, dropped out, the team had to find a new player.
Quickly, the Sono team identified NBA veteran center Deyonte Davis as the right fit and signed him. A former highly touted prospect who played in the McDonald’s All-American Game for the top high school players in the country, Davis played 106 games in the NBA after attending Michigan State.
After leaving the NBA, Davis spent two seasons with the Taoyuan Leopards in Taiwan before taking on a new challenge in Korea this season. Davis, who played alongside Dwight Howard last season, averaged 16.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.3 blocked shots in two seasons in the Taiwan T1 League.
On Sunday at the Goyang Sono Arena, Davis said he’s still not at full strength, but he has a good feeling about Korea and is determined to get back on track.
“Once I got here, it’s a new environment, so everything is new,” Davis said. I feel like it’s the best situation for me. I’m not at 100 percent right now, but I’m trying to do my best to get back to where I was and get back to being myself as soon as possible.”
On why he chose Sono: “The most important thing is that the team wanted me. “The most important thing is that the team wanted me, so it was a no-brainer for me to come.
At 6-foot-6 with long arms, Davis’ biggest strength comes from his defensive presence, including rim protection. He was named to the Defensive First Team and blocked shots in the Taiwanese League for the second straight year. If Davis’ skills translate well, it will be a big boost for Sono, whose height is a weakness.
“When it’s all said and done, I’m very proud of my defensive tendencies. I’m very proud of the way I play defense. If I can win games on defense, I’m going to give it my all and focus on defense.”
One of the biggest differences between Davis’s game in the NBA and now is the frequency of his outside shot attempts. While he rarely attempted three-pointers during his NBA career, he’s seen a marked increase in frequency in Taiwan, taking 5.0 per game last season. Shooting from beyond the arc is a keyword that could fit Sono’s style of archery basketball.
“I wouldn’t say my style has changed from when I played in the NBA, but when I went to Taiwan, the team gave me the opportunity to shoot more threes. I was given that opportunity on top of what I already had the ability to do, so I was free to shoot it.”
In closing, Davis said, “For the fans, I’m really excited to be here and I’m excited to show them what I can do in front of them. I hope they’re going to have a lot of fun watching me defend and play my game,” he said.