Here's how Ed Davis can help the Portland Trail Blazers on offense
Portland Trail Blazers forward Ed Davis has a habit of swimming below the radar. He's perpetually underrated, a solid rebounder and shot blocker who has quite a bit of touch near the basket.
He's efficient and understands his limitations. That's good, and should help Portland exceed its expectations this season. Here's more on Davis' useful offensive attack from SB Nation's Blazer's Edge:
Davis averaged career-high numbers across the board last season. Most notably his 8.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. He doesn't space the floor, at all, but is still a useful weapon off the bench.
Pairing him beside Meyers Leonard (or Noah Vonleh, if the youngster can establish an outside shot) could give the Trail Blazers one of the better young frontcourt bench duos in the league.
(h/t: Blazer's Edge)
After years of figuring out who he was as a player (as many Trail Blazers are doing now), Davis streamlined his game in Los Angeles. He almost completely abandoned the ineffective mid-range jumpers that have blemished his repertoire for years, in favor of bringing his game closer to the basket. In fact, the deepest shot he took during the 2014-15 season was a mere 14-footer. Over 71 percent of his shot attempts were at the rim, and over 96 percent were within 10 feet. As a result, Davis’ field goal percentage spiked to a career-high 60.1 percent, from 53.4 percent one year prior. Had Davis made 18 more shots, he would have qualified for the field goal percentage leaderboard and finished second league-wide behind the Los Angeles Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan.
