Terence Davis grateful for opportunity with Kings after prosecutors drop assault charges
Kings guard Terence Davis said he is grateful to the organization for giving him a second chance after a promising start to his career with the Toronto Raptors was marred by allegations of domestic violence.
Davis addressed the media in Sacramento for the first time after coming off the bench to score 27 points in a 129-128 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night at Golden 1 Center. Davis grew teary eyed while discussing his legal battle and his desire to regain custody of his 22-month-old son now that most of the charges against him have been dismissed.
“That’s a very sensitive and personal subject,” Davis said. “I don’t want to touch too much on it, because it’s kind of still ongoing, I would say. Not as much, but I’m still going through some things with my son, like trying to have custody of him and things of that sort, so it’s a very sensitive subject, but I’m happy to be here, happy to just be in Sacramento. I’ve got a fresh, clean start.”
Davis will help the Kings (22-28) try to snap a three-game losing streak when they face the Minnesota Timberwolves (12-38) on Monday night at Target Center in Minneapolis. He is coming off one of the best games of his career after making 10 of 14 field-goal attempts and 7 of 10 from 3-point range in Saturday’s loss to Milwaukee.
Sacramento acquired Davis, 23, in exchange for a future second-round draft pick in a March 25 trade with the Raptors. He has appeared in five games for the Kings, averaging 12.2 points on 50% shooting from the field and 41.9% shooting from 3-point range.
“It’s definitely been big for us,” Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox said. “He’s that spark off the bench. He played well against us when he was in Toronto, so we knew what he could do. We know he’s a guy who can really get it going and that’s what we’ve asked him to do since he’s been here.”
Charges dismissed
Davis is a 6-foot-4, 201-pound wing who can play shooting guard or small forward and defend multiple positions due in part to his impressive 6-9 wingspan.
Davis went undrafted out of Ole Miss in 2019, but he quickly established a role for himself as a rookie with the Raptors after signing a two-year deal with Toronto. Davis was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team after averaging 7.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 16.8 minutes per game for Toronto in 2019-20.
In October, while preparing for his second season with the Raptors, Davis was arrested in New York following an alleged incident of domestic violence involving his former girlfriend. Davis initially faced seven charges, including two counts of third-degree assault, but the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office dropped five of those charges in February.
Davis reportedly accepted an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal relating to the two remaining charges of criminal mischief and child endangerment. If Davis fulfills the conditions of the agreement, those charges will be dismissed in February.
“My rookie year, I would say I had a pretty good year,” Davis said. “… And then for the unfortunate situation to go down and then things just flipped like that, it’s almost like the world was against me and my back was against the wall. Like I said, I’m just thankful. I thank God for just putting me through that situation and helping me get out of it, because when you’re going through something like that, it defines you as a person, as a man and, for me, as a father. I’m just excited to be here, excited to be a part of the Kings, and I’m happy, man. I’m ready to get to work and continue to work. This is a fresh start for me and I just want to take advantage of it.”
Looking forward
Kings general manager Monte NcNair addressed Davis’ fit with the team and his legal situation after acquiring him in the trade with Toronto.
“On the off-court stuff, we certainly take all that stuff very seriously,” McNair said. “His case is closed and I think going forward we will, of course, uphold the standards that we’ve set here. And then on the court, I think his combination of shooting and, on the defensive end, tough-nose, hard-nose defense, and the ability to get him in, see what he can do and potentially make him part of our future, was worth that.”
Davis hopes he has found a new home and a good fit for himself in Sacramento. He couldn’t hide his emotions when asked what it meant to have a big game for his new team despite the ongoing difficulties in his personal life.
“I don’t want to talk too much on myself, man, because this is a team sport, but as an individual, I’m a tough dude, just trying to deal with so much,” Davis said. “I haven’t really seen my son in a while. I’m getting kind of teary right now just talking about this situation, but I’ve been through a lot, man. I’m just happy to be here and happy that the Kings welcomed me with open arms.”
This story was originally published April 5, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
