There's an intellectual side and a poised side to him that carries over to the game. He's a high IQ type of player and an excellent passer. – 76ers first-year coach Brett Brown, on Brandon Davies
One week after being released by the Los Angeles Clippers, former BYU big man Brandon Davies has found himself a new NBA home.
On Monday morning, the Philadelphia 76ers officially announced they signed the rookie forward.
Philadelphia's opening-day roster now stands at 15 players.
"There's an intellectual side and a poised side to him that carries over to the game," 76ers first-year coach Brett Brown told the Philadelphia Enquirer following Davies' first practice with the team. "He's a high IQ type of player and an excellent passer."
Davies, who was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Provo, played in five preseason games with the Clippers. He averaged 3.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in the preseason while averaging 11.2 minutes per game.
His best game came against the Utah Jazz. In the Clippers' 106-74 victory over the Jazz on Oct. 12 at EnergySolutions Arena, Davies scored nine points — all on 3-pointers — and had two rebounds and an assist.
"I was extremely excited," Davies told the Enquirer about signing with the 76ers, "especially (after) being waived and not knowing what's going to happen. A couple days later, you've got a great deal and I was excited to get started."
The 76ers open the 2013-14 regular season on Wednesday against the two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat. Philadelphia plays at Utah on Feb. 12, 2014.
Davies, who signed with the Clippers in early September, averaged 17.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks during his senior year at BYU, earning All-West Coast Conference team honors.
He also played on the Clippers' summer league team, averaging 5.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game during Los Angeles' five contests.
In addition to the 6-foot-9, 235-pound Davies, there are five other forwards on the 76ers team.
During his time in Los Angeles, Davies also spent some time at the small forward position, in addition to playing power forward.
"I never played the 3, and now I'm out here getting a lot of my minutes at the 3," Davies told L.A. Clippers TV repoter Madelyn Burke after the Clippers' win over the Jazz in Utah. "(I'm) just showing the coach that I'm willing to learn and making sure I bring it every night.
"The hardest part is trying to get the plays down at both positions, but I've gotten a lot of help. Things are getting easier."
Email: bjudd@deseretnews.com; Twitter: @brandonljudd