Brooklyn Nets: Complete 2018 offseason grades

Scooping Ed Davis

Ed Davis wasted little time deciding where he would be playing next season. Within the first couple of hours of free agency, he signed a one-year, $4.4 million contract with the Nets.

Spending the last few seasons playing for the Portland Trail Blazers, he struggled to receive consistent minutes. After averaging 20+ minutes per game while playing for the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers earlier in his career, he saw the bulk of the minutes in Portland given to Meyers Leonard and Jursuf Nurkic.

This agreement benefits both the team and the player. Davis will receive more playing time in Brooklyn, and could be on the starting lineup opening night. Though he’s a poor 3-point shooter, he should thrive in Kenny Atkinson’s small-ball offensive system. He’s also far more aggressive than Jarrett Allen in the post, and is known for racking up 3-point plays.

His biggest contribution to the Nets will be on the defensive end. Brooklyn’s frontcourt defense last season was atrocious, and opposing teams often exposed this weakness throughout the year. Davis is an exceptional post defender, and can defend playing either the center or power forward position. His ability to block shots could also lead to easy transition points for the Nets.

Grade: B