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Brooklyn Nets: Getting a deal with Ed Davis a smart move

By Chris Milholen

PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 10: Ed Davis #17 of the Portland Trail Blazers goes for a lay up against the Brooklyn Nets on November 10, 2017 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 10: Ed Davis #17 of the Portland Trail Blazers goes for a lay up against the Brooklyn Nets on November 10, 2017 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Brooklyn Nets wasted no time into NBA free agency. Within the first hour, Brooklyn agreed to a new deal with Joe Harris and now Portland Trail Blazers big Ed Davis has reportedly agreed to a one-year deal.

After numerous reports that the Brooklyn Nets would target a big man, general manager Sean Marks got themselves a big. Only one hour into free agency, the Brooklyn Nets agreed to a one-year, $4.4 million deal with Portland Trail Blazers big Ed Davis, according to a report.

Davis’ deal will also not affect the Nets cap space for this offseason as the Nets will use their bi-annual exception to sign Davis without using cap space.

The deal was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Getting Ed Davis was a smart move by Brooklyn. Due to Portland’s salary cap situation, it was very unlikely they could re-sign the big man. Davis can bring a lot to Brooklyn. He can patch many long-standing holes Brooklyn has been trying desperately to patch.

Here’s an updated look at the Nets’ cap situation, per Early Bird Rights.

This is what Davis can bring to Brooklyn.

Offensive Impact

Davis is an offensive weapon and has been highly overlooked in Portland. The big man did not get full credit for his offensive ability due to the play of the Blazers backcourt.

First off, he is a monster in the paint. Davis is a great post-up player and scorer in the paint. He can drive and finish with a thunderous slam or catch alley-oops.

He is also a great offensive rebounder, which the Nets desperately need. The Nets did not do a great job grabbing offensive rebounds last season. With Davis in a Nets uniform, he will easily make an impact on the boards on the offensive end.

Davis collected 183 offensive rebounds last season for Portland.

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One area on the offensive end that gets highly overlooked is his passing. Davis is a good passing big. He is smart with the ball and knows when to get rid of it. The 6-foot-10 big man likes to pass the ball outside the arc.

Well, there is no better team to pass the ball out to than the Brooklyn Nets. Davis had a total of 40 assists last season, which is good for a big man.

The big man is not a 3-point shooting big. He only attempted one 3-point shot last season. This does not affect his impact nor does he need to shoot 3s. The Nets are filled with 3-point shooters. Davis will primarily be a force in the paint.

Davis fits very well with the Nets offense. His role will not be limited with Brooklyn and his presence will clearly be felt. He adds depth to the Nets frontcourt and will thrive with coach Kenny Atkinson’s small-ball offense.

This is a small preview on what Davis can bring to Brooklyn.

Now lets look at what he brings to the defensive end of the floor.

Defensive Impact

Davis will be a bigger force on the defensive end than the offensive end. Brooklyn main goal behind pursuing the Blazers’ big was to improve their frontcourt defense.

Related Story: Report: Harris agrees to two-year deal, will remain a Net

The Nets frontcourt defense was not good last season. Opposing teams would commonly target the paint and pile on points from that area. Davis can put a help with this, but isn’t the entire answer to the problem.

He is known to be a great wall defender in the paint. His presence was well felt on the defensive end last season in Portland. Davis is a lock-down defender who gives opposing big men limited room to post up.

To go along with his lock-down defense, Davis is an aggressive shot blocker. The 6-foot-10 center swatted a total of 52 shots last season. This is a huge addition for Brooklyn. The Nets did not have many shot blockers last season aside from Jarrett Allen.

Davis is also a great stealing big man. He does not average a steal per game, but is known to poke away the ball from opposing bigs, leading to transition points on the other end.

To go along with his shot blocking and steals is his defensive rebounding. Davis gathered a total of 392 defensive rebounds last season with Portland. Since his rookie season, Davis has been growing this part of his game each season.

Davis’ play will be a huge addition to Brooklyn next season but there’s one area where he can really make an impact; veteran leadership and a mentor

Mentor and Veteran Leadership

Davis just completed his ninth NBA season. He has bounced around during those nine years with  four different teams. Despite bouncing around, Davis was with Portland for the past three seasons.

During his time in Portland, he was a good mentor for Meyers Leonard. Now he can serve as a mentor to another young big man; Jarrett Allen.

Davis can be a great mentor for Allen. Allen and Davis have similar styles of play on both ends of the floor. Neither big man extends their offensive game past the free throw line and each knows their role on both ends of the floor.

Next: Breaking down Nets Summer League roster

The new Nets big man can help Allen develop his game on both ends of the floor.