Celtics draft guard JD Davison with 53rd pick in 2022 NBA Draft

It wasn't until after midnight that the Celtics got on the clock in the 2022 NBA Draft. When their turn came with the 53rd overall pick, the team took guard JD Davison out of Alabama.

This time last year, Davison was a five-star recruit, ranked the 15th best player in his class and the best player from the state of Alabama. He played mainly as a reserve in his freshman year for the Tide, averaging 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and a steal in 25.8 minutes per game. Davison elected to enter the draft after his lone college season.

At just 19 years old, Davison's game is still relatively raw. He's 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, and is at his best in the fast break and driving to the basket. His athleticism is his standout trait right now, although he has shown some progress as a jump shooter (he shot 33 percent on mid-range jumpers last year, and 30.1 percent from three).

Following the pick, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens discussed the pick. "Very young, very explosive, that's pretty obvious," Stevens said about Davison. "Has the ability to get inside the paint and make plays and has some things he'll have to improve on, but he's a good competitor."

In college Davison mainly played point guard - a position of depth for the Celtics with Marcus Smart, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard all under contract for multiple years. However, he projects as a combo guard who could play more off the ball in the NBA.

Davison was the Celtics' lone pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. They traded their first round pick to San Antonio in the Derrick White deal at the trade deadline. San Antonio used that pick - 25th overall - to take Notre Dame guard Blake Wesley.

For Celtics fans, they'll only have to wait a couple of weeks for their first look at Davison in green and white. The team's Summer League schedule begins on July 9.