DeMarre Carroll gave the Brooklyn Nets a big boost in the first half, scoring all 12 of his points before the intermission break during the Nets’ season-best 70-point opening 24 minutes.
His versatility has been on full display, as he’s been providing serviceable minutes at the 2 after being projected as a stretch 4 during the preseason.
Defensively, he is stout and he has the size to make some noise on the glass. A solid effort from a solid pro.
This is the role Jared Dudley fits best — veteran guy off the bench who can provide a spark, some shooting and keep things calm.
He did it impeccably Friday night and has been mostly solid in 10 games off the bench since being removed from the starting unit.
Over that span, Dudley is averaging 3.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in 16.0 minutes per game and shooting .429/4-for-15/7-for-10.
Not overwhelming, but considering he was at 5.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 20 games as a starter while averaging 23.5 minutes and shooting .375/.306/12-for-15, it’s solid.
The most noticeable change in Dudley is that he appears more comfortable in this role and in the NBA that can be a huge part of success.
The big news was that Ed Davis attempted a 3-pointer Friday night. It was only the third attempt of his career, and the first that wasn’t a late-clock heave.
Well, OK, it was a late-shot-clock heave, but not one of those 50-foot bombs at the buzzer. It came in his 589th career game.
(Narrator: It was not successful.)
It was also Davis’ only missed shot on the night as he dropped eight points and yanked down seven rebounds in 16 minutes in what is becoming known as a typical Ed Davis night at the office.
He continues to lead the NBA in offensive rebounding percentage at 16.7 and is 10th in the league in offensive rebounding overall at 3.3 per game, despite playing just 17.5 minutes a night. No one else in the top 10 averages less than 26.7 minutes.
Davis is one of the best backup bigs in the league and an absolute steal for the room exception of $4.45 million.