Former Ole Miss guard Terence Davis was getting very little love from the NBA following the conclusion of his senior season.

Now, with the NBA Draft on Thursday night, Terence Davis is all but a lock to be one of the 60 selected.

Davis dipped his toes in the NBA waters a year ago. However, he was convinced by his new, incoming head coach Kermit Davis to return to Oxford for his senior season. It seems like that decision could pay off in a big way on Thursday night.

After averaging 13.8 points and 2.1 assists as a junior, Davis came back and averaged 15.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists his senior season. The Southaven native helped lead Ole Miss to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. He often had his best games against the Rebels’ stiffest competition, capitalized by scoring 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in his final home game at the Pavilion against No. 6 Kentucky.

Yet despite the production, Davis wasn’t getting much attention when his senior season came to a close. Thankfully for the Rebel, the pre-draft process was vital to his rise.

Oh, yeah. Terence Davis had one of the best dunks this year and now the entire city of Knoxville is his. Rules are rules. pic.twitter.com/5KIXQ388Xk

— Bobby Reagan (@BarstoolReags) February 28, 2019

Davis showed out in May at the G League Elite Camp in Chicago. He scored a game-high 24 points in a scrimmage against others in the draft, earning him an invite to the NBA draft combine, something to which he had previously been uninvited.

At this point, about one month ago, ESPN’s best available prospects list ranked Davis at No. 79. There are only 60 selections in the NBA Draft. But Davis went out and was impressible yet again at the draft combine, this time against competition projected to go much more highly in the draft.

Now, with the NBA Draft on Thursday evening, Davis has impressed scouts enough to the point where he’s almost assuredly going to hear his name called by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

At press time, Davis has moved all the way from No. 79 to No. 40 on the ESPN Ranking of best available draft prospects. The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor projects Davis to go No. 33 to the Philadelphia 76ers. Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo mocks Davis at No. 47 and Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman has Davis at No. 34. No reputable mock draft has him falling out of the top 60.

It’s truly a special rise. Teams reportedly are impressed with the Rebel product’s ability to make shots from all parts of the floor and his overall athleticism. In the modern NBA of positionless basketball, he’s a longer guard who can defend three positions.

Terence Davis has certainly done his part – now all he can do is wait. The draft takes place Thursday evening at 6 p.m. Central Time and is broadcast on ESPN.