The undrafted North Carolina product is channeling Patty Mills in Las Vegas, parlaying scrappy defense and explosive scoring into a legitimate push for a two-way roster spot.
Before NBA Summer League tipped off in Las Vegas, SpursRoundtable.com identified three members of San Antonio's roster worth monitoring closely.
Among the three was Carter Bryant ... who played so well in two appearances that the Spurs decided to shut him down for the remainder of the summer.
We also highlighted Tarris Reed Jr., a trade-up target for San Antonio on night one of the 2026 NBA Draft ... who already looks like he could be Victor Wembanyama's physical frontcourt mate for years to come.
But our third spotlight player was more obscure. He wasn't a first-rounder and didn't possess otherworldly potential. And that's exactly why we included him.
RJ Davis has spent his entire basketball career proving doubters wrong.
Despite standing just 6-feet tall, the White Plains, New York, native evolved into a collegiate superstar at North Carolina.
He ultimately went undrafted in 2025, but a strong rookie season with the G League's South Bay Lakers earned him a Summer League opportunity with San Antonio.
Three games into his stint in Las Vegas ... Davis has performed well enough to begin the conversation surrounding whether he deserves a two-way spot on the Spurs' 2026-27 roster.
The 24-year-old has posted averages of 12.3 points, 4.3 assists and 1.7 steals in 24 minutes per contest during his stint in Las Vegas — but San Antonio's 90-80 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks may have been his most impressive performance yet.
Davis responded by delivering arguably his best outing of the summer, scoring 20 points and recording a plus-22 in San Antonio's victory over Milwaukee — both of which represent team highs for the Spurs during Summer League play.
His play has been impressive, and while Davis certainly faces an uphill battle to secure a roster spot in a backcourt headlined by the likes of Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and De'Aaron Fox, there's something that feels extra Spurs-y about the UNC product.
He's undersized, scrappy, pesky and has a wise offensive mind.
Davis reminds me of a modern Patty Mills, who, of course, won a title with San Antonio back in 2014.
Whether that ultimately results in a potential two-way contract remains to be seen.
But if the Spurs are searching for another undersized guard capable of outperforming expectations in silver and black — Davis is making a compelling argument.
