INDIANAPOLIS — Every child prodigy has an origin story.

For Butler guard DJ Davis, his parents Daren Davis and Briaunna Jackson saw signs of a supremely gifted outside shooter at birth.

"My parents both told me that when I came out of the womb, I was flicking my wrist," Davis said. "So, when I shot my first basketball at 2 years old, I was flicking my wrist. (Shooting) has always come natural to me."

Davis's words may seem like hyperbole — until you watch him shoot a basketball. His pure mechanics and lightning-quick release have helped him become one of the best shooters in college basketball.

The 6-1 guard from Moreno Valley, Calif., is shooting 37.8% from 3 on 5.5 attempts per game, and he's the No. 1 free throw shooter in the nation, shooting 96.2% (76-for-79). He shot 40% from 3 each of his last two seasons at UC-Irvine while shooting 89.1% from the line.

In an era where players are shooting further and further behind the 3-point line, Davis has unlimited range. Whenever he pulls up, contested or not, everyone on the court knows there's a good chance his shot is going through the net.

After beating Butler and holding Davis to six points, the first thing longtime Michigan State coach Tom Izzo did during his postgame news conference was congratulate his team on its strong defensive effort against the Bulldogs' marksman.

"I told the Davis kid after the game, he's a hell of a player on 1-for-8 (shooting)," Izzo said. "I just want to give our guys some credit on that."

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'The best shooter I've ever been around'

Davis' shooting has opened eyes from the West Coast to the Big Ten but becoming a 3-point sniper did not happen overnight.

He developed his shooting routine over time and shooting sessions do not end until he's made 500 3-pointers. Once he found a routine that worked for him, he started to drift further from the 3-point line, testing the limits of what can be considered a good shot to take during actual games.

"Shooting from the 3-point line, when that started to feel like a mid-range (shot), you shoot from further out," he explained.

Davis said his shooting mechanics allow him to shoot from deep without sacrificing his fundamentals. Because he shoots on the way up, he said it's easy to use his legs and core strength to generate the power to release long-range 3s.

By middle school, shooting near half-court became a regular part of his game. Once he got to Centennial High School as an underclassman, he led the state in 3-point shooting. As a senior at Riverside Poly, Davis averaged 19.2 points per game.

At Butler, Davis's shooting displays dropped the jaws of his new teammates. They heard the UC-Irvine transfer was a talented shooter, but seeing it in person was a sight to behold.

"DJ is one of the best shooters I've ever played with," Butler guard Landon Moore said. "He got here late in the summer. I was hurt at the time, so I was just watching. He shot a couple 3s that day where he pulled up from half-court. I'm like, 'He made a couple, maybe it's just a fluke.' But every day he would come in and shoot those shots. Now you expect those shots to go in when you see him pulling up like that."

"DJ is the best shooter I've ever been around in my life, that I've seen on a daily basis," added freshman guard Finley Bizjack. "He's an excellent shooter. Being around him has really helped my shot because he's just giving me little tips and tricks and stuff."

'He's a 40-minute cover'

Davis has adapted well to Butler's offense predicated on ball movement and creating mismatches. He's averaging 14.3 points per game, but 22.8 points over his past four games. It's his second three-game stretch averaging more than 20 points. Early in Big East play, he scored 22, 25 and 22 points in games against Providence, St. John's and UConn, respectively.

Davis followed his first scoring outburst with three subpar games, totaling 10 points before getting back on track. Davis is used to being at the top of opposing scouting reports and teams deploy multiple tactics to make sure he cannot get into a rhythm offensively.

"He's a 40-minute cover," Hawaii coach Eran Ganot said. "He's a shooter with deep range. He combines the mechanics, the work he puts in and the confidence and swagger. He can score in a flurry, and he's also really good with the ball. He's quick. He's slippery with the ball... He's a big-game player, a big-moment player.

"You try to make him work at the other end. You feel like you're in a good situation and then he's a lapse killer."

Ganot added Davis can exploit teams trying to take away his 3-pointers with a crafty mid-range game.

Davis saw every defensive coverage during his time in the Big West. Long Beach State coach Dan Monson said it's important to get a body on Davis early in the possession. His ability to shake loose and quickly get off a shot in transition allows him to score in a hurry. As a junior Davis had five 3s in the first half of a win over LBSU. The Beach held Davis to two 3s in an overtime win in their second game against UC-Irvine.

Monson said the scouting report didn't change, but sometimes players need to experience a great shooter firsthand to truly understand.

"We didn't change the scout on him from game-to-game, but he made a believer out of them real quick the first time we played them at their place because we lost him in transition," Monson said. "Once a guy like that sees one or two go in, he can make the next four or five."

Davis' basketball IQ makes him more than just a pure shooter. He knows how to read defenses, use screens to his advantage and he's a capable playmaker from the point guard position.

Davis has five games with four or more assists. As teams focus more on taking away his 3, opportunities to create for teammates will present themselves. Davis said playmaking is another underrated part of his game.

"I consider myself a pretty good playmaker. I consider myself a good passer as well. So being able to read plays and make the best play," Davis said. "I know with my skillset, if they're in a drop (coverage) I'm gonna shoot it every time, and if they play off, I can see the floor pretty well."

With Davis as an additional playmaker alongside Posh Alexander and Jahmyl Telfort, Butler's offense has found its groove offensively. Butler is third in the Big East at 80.7 points per game.

With Davis on the perimeter the Bulldogs can hang with anyone offensively. What keeps Davis on the floor, despite being undersized, is his willingness to play defense. As Butler heads down the home stretch of the regular season, coach Thad Matta likes the all-around performance he's gotten from the sharpshooting transfer.

"We need him to keep banging shots, that's for sure," Matta said. "But the other thing is, his defense is getting better. He's keeping guys in front of him, and we got to continue to build off of that as well, because he's gonna help us on that end too."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler basketball: How DJ Davis became one of NCAA's top shooters