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Mark Deeks first reported that the Spurs signed the 23-year-old forward out of San Diego State to a multi-year contract.
New @Hoop365: Spurs sign Josh Davis (the San Diego State one, not the Wyoming one). http://t.co/M0vdudR7Ri
— Mark Deeks (@MarkDeeksNBA) agosto 27, 2014
Deeks clarifies in his post that this is likely a camp deal, which makes sense. The Spurs have signed Bryce Cotton and JaMychal Green to only partially guaranteed multi-years already, designed to provide bodies for training camp and to lock up anyone that impresses for a couple of years on the cheap. It's almost certain that's the case with Davis.
Davis, who sports cornrows like another prominent former Aztec, is 6'8" and seems to be better suited to play power forward despite giving up size. He is a terrific rebounder who averaged 10 boards per game in three years playing Division 1 ball (two for Tulane, one for San Diego State) but he has very little range on his jumper. He only shot 49.5% from the free-throw line his senior year and is not a threat from beyond the arc.
What Davis does well, according to scouting reports, is move his feet guarding the pick-and-roll and use his first step to get around heavier, slower power forwards. He's a decent athlete as well and is supposed to have a high motor. At this point, he seems more similar to Malcolm Thomas than Kawhi Leonard if we are comparing him to former Aztecs.
The Spurs' roster stands at 17 at the moment. The team can carry up to 20 players during the off-season but will need to trim that down to 15 before the season starts. The last three cuts from training camp can be allocated to the Austin Toros, provided the players are willing to sign a standard D-League contract. But the Spurs won't have exclusive rights to them, meaning any team can call them up. The last two players that the Spurs have allocated to Austin were Myck Kabongo and Josh Howard, so don't expect Davis (or Cotton or Green, for that matter) to make the final roster or even join the Spurs at any point.
We'll update you with more details as they become available.