Portland Trail Blazers big Ed Davis is back to being a major post presence off of the bench, but questions about his future loom.
Portland Trail Blazers backup big Ed Davis has been on a roll lately. He just notched 15 points and 13 rebounds in the team’s 107-93 victory at the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 26. Davis shot 6-for-7 from the field and grabbed his season-high in points and boards.
But Davis’ double-double in Dallas wasn’t an isolated incident, it was his second straight. He also picked up 11 points and 10 rebounds in a 123-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. This marked his first back-to-back double-doubles since Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 of 2015.
Davis’ recent performances were his second and third double-doubles in the month of January, and the third and fourth of the 2017-18 season. They were also his third and fourth consecutive games with 10 or more rebounds. All of this production is coming off of the bench; Davis has not started a game yet this season.
Ed Davis is averaging 5.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game this season. It doesn’t seem like much, but this is his best production since 2015-16. That year he averaged 6.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in 81 appearances (no starts). That output was enough to earn him a first place vote for Sixth Man of the Year that season.
Davis’ output this year is a return to his 2015-16 form after injury marred his 2016-17 season. He only played in 46 games that year, making 12 starts. After enduring a shoulder injury the previous season, he attempted to play through it.
However, a collision in January 2017 with Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid aggravated the issue. After appearing in only five more games, he opted to undergo arthroscopic left shoulder surgery in March, missing the remainder of the season.
But surgery and rehab has brought Ed Davis back to his old self. The frontcourt rotation was a mystery at the beginning of the season, but he has carved out a niche as the backup center behind Jusuf Nurkic. His energy, hustle and toughness off of the bench allows Davis to step into the role and make it his own.
Davis is a big reason the Blazers are such a good rebounding team. His 7.0 rebounds per game are second-most on the team, despite only averaging 18.7 minutes per game. That output helps Portland place eighth in the NBA in team rebounds, averaging 44.5 boards per game.
But how much longer will Davis deliver this output in a Blazers uniform? He Is currently in the final year of a three-year, $20 million contract and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Considering his usefulness off the bench, could he be moved by the Feb. 8 trade deadline? If he stays through the remainder of the year, will we see him bolt for a new franchise?
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Those are a couple of questions to consider as the Portland Trail Blazers seek to make the right moves towards becoming a championship contender. But for now, Ed Davis is back to being a major spark off of the bench for a team that could be hitting its stride.