Kendric Davis proves he's NBA ready in NBL26 title run

• ‍Game 1: 'Saturday night slaughter' as KD's Kings fire first shot‍
• Game 2: Cotton game-winner levels series as KD loses his cool‍
• Game 3: 'All love' as KD talks Cotton clash as Kings take Game 3
• Game 4: DJ winds back the clock to keep 36ers alive‍
• Game 5: Kings crowned champions in greatest decider ever

NBL26 Grand Final MVP Kendric Davis went to the Sydney Kings to earn a roster spot in the NBA.

"At my age, I’ve been able to achieve some incredible things, and I just felt I needed that platform that Sydney can provide, to give me the best chance of reaching the NBA, which is my ultimate goal,” Davis said back on April 23, 2025, when he signed with the Kings.

"The Kings have a legendary coach, strong roster, wonderful culture and amazing front office, and it just felt like the right move for me, especially once Delly signed," he said.

"(Matthew Dellavedova) and I, along with coach Goorj (Brian Goorjian) and CP [Chris Pongrass], talked a lot during free agency, and we all thought a backcourt featuring us two guards, along with the pieces already on the roster, meshed really well.

"Not to mention, Delly has played in the NBA, so learning from him and being part of the platform the Kings provide [sending seven players to the NBA over the past seven years], just made sense, and I’m really excited to get to work and hopefully bring another championship back to Sydney."

Davis, 26, checked off the latter on Sunday, April 4, 2026, leading the Kings to their sixth championship in an epic Game 5 Overtime Instant Classic, finishing with 35 points and 14 assists to a miracle comeback in front of 18,589 people after trailing by as much as six points with just two minutes left in the ball game.

Davis sat at the press conference alongside Xavier Cooks, Matthew Dellavedova and Brian Goorjian with the net draped around his neck, grateful for the Kings and Goorjian seeing through the noise of his Adelaide 36ers exit at the end of NBL25.

“You heard everything… all summer, all year… and it takes a bold organisation to say, ‘I’m going to work with you’,” he said.

“I couldn’t even click on Instagram at the end of the year… you just see all the hateful things.”

“It was at a point where I hated Australian media… that’s why I never came in here.

“I fell in love with basketball again because of these people right here on this table.

“They kept uplifting me… they depended on me all year.”

“They depended on me all year… coach believed in me.”

“You don’t want to let them guys down.

“This been my first ever playoff series I ever played in. I didn’t know what to expect.

“Teams adjustments… I never been part of that.”

“Dudes like Delly… helped me.”

Now back to the former. Davis is hungry for his shot at the NBA after beating six-time MVP and nine-time scoring champion Bryce Cotton to the ultimate prize after finishing runner-up in the MVP voting for the second straight year.

Kendric Davis

Date of Birth: May 14, 1999 (26 years old)
Height: 1.80 m
Position: Point Guard
Team: Sydney Kings

NBL26 Finals Series

Minutes: 40.5 │ Points: 27.2 │ FG: 45.0% │ FT: 89.3% │ Rebounds: 2.4 │ Assists: 10.4 │ Steals: 1.4 │ Turnovers: 2.8

Best Game: vs Adelaide 36ers (April 5, 2026 – Grand Final Game 5)

Minutes: 44.9 │ Points: 35 │ FG: 13/29 (44.8%) │ FT: 6/10 (60.0%) │ Rebounds: 1 │ Assists: 14 │ Steals: 1 │ Turnovers: 4

By the Numbers

• Averaged 27.2 points and 10.4 assists across the Championship Series.
• Produced two 30+ point games and multiple 10+ assist performances.
• Logged 40+ minutes in three of five games, including 44.9 in Game 5.
• Recorded a 35-point, 14-assist closeout performance in the title decider.
• Controlled tempo as Sydney’s primary creator in every possession.
• Delivered elite production under full defensive attention and late-game pressure.

Kendric Davis — 2025–26 Form Snapshot

• Points: 26.8 ppg
• Assists: 8.2 apg
• Rebounds: 3.7 rpg
• FG%: ~49–50%
• Minutes: 33.5 mpg
• 30+ games: 14
• 40+ game: 1
• 15+ assist games: Multiple (peak: 15)

What NBA Teams Will See

1. High-Level Pick-and-Roll Engine

• 14 assists (Apr 5)
• 15 assists (Mar 29)
• 14 assists (Jan 25)

This is real orchestration, not inflated usage.

Translation:

• Can run second units immediately
• Comfortable as an on-ball initiator

2. Three-Level Scoring

• 40 pts (Jan 22)
• 35 pts (multiple times)
• 30+ consistently across the NBL26 season

Efficiency spikes:

• 86.7% FG (Feb 20)
• 66.7% FG (Mar 11)
• 64.7% FG (Feb 15)

He’s not a volume-only scorer — he has efficiency bursts.

3. Clutch + Load

• 44.9 mins, 35 pts, 14 ast (Apr 5)
• 39.8 mins, 22 & 10 (Apr 1)
• 40.0 mins, 34 & 15 (Mar 29)

That’s playoff workload + playoff production

NBA Red Flags (The Reality Check)

Age: 26

• Older than most NBA rookies
• Limited “development runway” perception

Size

• Undersized guard (biggest barrier)
• Must be elite at something. Playmaking helps

Free Throw Volatility

• 60% (Apr 5)
• 40% (Feb 15)

Needs consistency to survive NBA guard pressure

Trend Line (This Matters Most in the NBA)

Late Season Surge (Feb to Finals)

• 30, 31, 35, 27, 25, 20, 34, 22, 35
• Assist spikes to the 10–15 range.

He trends UP under pressure. This is exactly what scouts track: “Does production scale when stakes rise?”

Answer: Yes.

NBA Player Archetype Comparison

Closest functional comparisons are:

• Jose Alvarado – defensive energy + playmaking
• T.J. McConnell – second-unit organiser
• Jalen Brunson (lite version) – craft, control, pace

Not athletic dominance. Wins with control, IQ, angles

Does He Have an NBA Case?

YES — but role-specific

Best Path

• Summer League contract
• Exhibit 10 / Two-way
• Backup PG / third guard

Why He Gets a Shot

• Proven high-usage creator
• Elite PnR reads
• Big-game production (this dataset screams it)

What Stops Him

• Size ceiling
• Age bias
• Must defend at the NBA level immediately

Verdict (Scout Language)

“He’s not a project — he’s a ready-made operator.”

• Can run a team tomorrow
• Already plays at NBA tempo.
• Needs the right ecosystem, not development

Bottom Line

Davis isn’t trying to make the NBA – he’s trying to fit into it, and he’s done everything possible to force a look.

One thing is almost certain: if Davis’ dream of playing on the same floor as Luka Dončić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić, Kevin Durant, Josh Giddey, and Dyson Daniels doesn’t come to fruition, he’ll be running it back with the Kings in NBL27.

“You don’t find too many organisations that don’t believe the hype and do their own research… and they did,” Davis said.

“I’m a loyalty guy… that means the world to me.”