The Los Angeles Lakers welcomed a former UNC star to the family last Saturday.
The Los Angeles Lakers have plenty of guards at their disposal as they prepare for a new NBA season, but why not add another?
Last Saturday, the franchise signed an undrafted former ACC Player of the Year to lend a helpful hand to Luka Doncic and LeBron James if necessary.
“The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard RJ Davis, forward Eric Dixon, forward Arthur Kaluma, and guard Augustas Marčiulionis,” the organization stated.
“Davis joins the Lakers after five collegiate seasons at the University of North Carolina (2020-25). In his final season with the Tar Heels, he started all 37 games and averaged 17.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.0 steals in 34.2 minutes, earning All-ACC Second Team honors.”
“Davis recently competed for the Lakers’ 2025 Summer League team, appearing in both the California Classic and NBA 2K26 Summer League.
In the team’s final game in Las Vegas against the Denver Nuggets, the 23-year-old posted 17 points, one rebound, three assists, and one steal in 25 minutes of action.”
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Davis was a tremendous five-year contributor at UNC.
As a sophomore, the ex-McDonald’s All-American guided the Tar Heels to a National title appearance as a No. 8 seed, falling to Kansas in a contest they led by 15 points at the break.
Although Davis didn’t come close to an NCAA championship after that gut-wrenching loss, he solidified himself as one of the upper-echelon point guards in the country between 2022 and 2025.
That said, it’s worth noting that the White Plains, New York native is undersized and is in no means a Ja Morant clone, which may cause problems for him in the NBA.
Still, with Davis’ knack for drilling pull-up jumpers after tightly coming off high ball screens, winning footraces when he has favorable matchups, and embracing the challenge of being a 94-feet defender, the 6-foot guard could surprise many in the big leagues.
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Category: Basketball
