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2019 NBA free agency: 5 most underrated signings

By James D. Tillman III

(Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

5. Utah Jazz adding Ed Davis

The Utah Jazz have had a very active offseason thus far. First, they traded for Mike Conley. Next, Utah and former Indiana Pacers forward Bojan Bogdanovic agreed to a four-year deal worth $73 million. This too was a solid move, as Bogdanovic was Indiana’s leading scorer during the team’s brief postseason run while shooting a career-best 42.5 percent from beyond the arc.

The Jazz aren’t through yet, however. Now, the team has also agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with former Brooklyn Nets big man Ed Davis. From an offensive standpoint, Davis’ numbers won’t jump off the stat sheet, as he averaged just 5.8 points in 17.9 minutes per contest in a reserve role for the Nets last season.

On the flip side of the narrative, Davis posted career highs in rebounding (8.6 per contest) and shooting, knocking down 61.6 percent of his shots overall. On top of that, Davis finished with the second-best Defensive Real Plus-Minus rating in the NBA last season. Ironically, the guy who finished ahead of him is now his new teammate, Rudy Gobert.

The Jazz finished fourth in points allowed last season (106.5 points per game) and second in defensive efficiency with 105.7 points per 100 possessions. With the addition of Davis, the Jazz won’t miss a beat defensively when Gobert needs to take a breather.