Brooklyn Nets: Player grades from 110-108 OT win over Pistons

Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images)
Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images)
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Brooklyn Nets
Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images)

Ed Davis was such a terrific pickup for the Brooklyn Nets. Two games into the preseason and it’s easy to see why his former Portland Trail Blazers teammates were sorry to see him go.

Davis is a lunch-pail guy. He sets rock-solid screens. He rebounds. He does the dirty work inside on defense. He calls out picks for the guys on the perimeter. He’s constantly in the ear of the younger players during stoppages in play, directing and advising.

He’s leading the Nets in rebounding in the preseason with 17 through two games and offensively, Davis is getting his looks on putbacks and as a roll man after setting the pick.

He’s just solid. Not spectacular, but an extremely valuable role player on any roster.

First-round pick Dzanan Musa got his first taste of the action as a member of the Brooklyn Nets Monday night and looked both raw and promising.

Musa did not play in the Summer League after playing 71 games for Croatian club Cedavita last season and then was held out of the preseason opener after spraining his ankle during FIBA World Cup qualifying play in his native Bosnia and Herzegovina last month.

Defensively, Musa was engaged — something scouts didn’t always see while he played in Europe — but as a 6-foot-9 shooting guard, he struggled at times to stay in front of Detroit’s Zach Lofton, giving up a blow-by dunk late in the shot clock.

On that play, it appeared Musa thought the possession was over and that Lofton would settle for a long jumper. He was just caught flat-footed when Lofton drove.

He recovered with a nice block on Lofton the next time down the floor, when Lofton had broken him down off the dribble.

And he survived his first Zaza Pachulia brick-wall pick, so there’s that.