Never too high or low, Ed Davis joined the Los Angeles Lakers as a largely unknown commodity. Hiding behind Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol in Memphis, Davis did not previously earn consistent enough playing time to show his consistency around the basket on both ends.
Not one to draw attention to himself, the 6-foot 10-inch forward has been the most consistent player on the Los Angeles Lakers in a season that has been anything but.
For starters, Davis is the only LA Laker to play in all 66 games during the 2014/15 season. Had Jeremy Lin not been benched for one game, he would be the only other Laker to claim the same. As it stands, Davis is the only player on pace to appear in all 82 games, and no, he has yet to ask the coach for a rest due to fatigue.
For the season, Davis shoots 60.7 percent from the field, which is the best on the team. If he manages to make 65 more field goals over the final 16 games of the season, Davis would rank second in the NBA in field goal percentage behind LA Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, 70.8 percent. The league minimum to qualify as a league leader for field goal percentage is 300 made shots, and Davis falls shy of that mark.
Davis, who only averages 5.9 attempts per game, is not a guy who looks for his own shot. He plays within the offense and relies on setting hard screens and rolling to the hoop to get scores. For all the hoopla over Jordan Hill's ability to command offensive rebounds, Davis averages 2.9 offensive rebounds per game and leads the Lakers in that category. League-wide, Davis ranks 15th in the NBA on the offensive glass, and so, he tends to create his own scoring opportunities via hard work under the basket.
As a note, all 14 players ahead of Davis in the offensive rebounding rankings average more minutes than the Lakers' power forward.
On the opposite end of the floor, Davis is also the Lakers' leading shot blocker. He is the only player to average over a block per game on the team, as the 25-year-old averages 1.3 blocks per outing. That average is good enough for 24th in the NBA.
Sports
Get today's sports news out of Los Angeles. Here's the latest on the Dodgers, Lakers, Angels, Kings, Galaxy, LAFC, USC, UCLA and more LA teams.
.@Lakers W last night! On way in to practice- 2 constants each day: 1. Sunny in LA 2. @eddavis32 will be in to #Work pic.twitter.com/pyH87bACcq — Tim DiFrancesco (@tdathletesedge) February 28, 2015
Davis' efficiency around the basket became apparent early in preseason, as the soft spoken power forward finished the Lakers' exhibition season making 27 of 37 shots, which calculated to 73.0 percent. Far from a fluke, Davis has not had a single month shooting under 50 percent. For March, he is shooting 69.8 percent from the field.
Whether in the starting lineup or off the bench, Davis provides consistent levels of energy and efficiency. His finishing around the rim looks simple, but Davis' hard work makes it seem so. His ability to finish around the basket is unique and should not be taken for granted.
However, Davis is not the type to mouth off. As Nick Young screams and laughs loudly in the locker room, Davis looks over, cracks a quarter smile and puts his headphones on. Part of that air of professionalism comes from Davis' background. The son of a Terry Davis, who played 10 seasons in the NBA, and the product of the University of North Carolina, the 25-year-old displays maturity beyond his years.
Unfortunately, Davis came to LA on a two-year deal that held a player option on the second year. Davis has already made it clear, for the aforementioned reasons, that he will pick up the option and test the open market. However, he has stated numerous times that he hopes to stay in LA.
Considering his pedigree, production, professionalism and potential, the case to sign Davis is easier to make than the case against signing the power forward, but the Lakers will likely need to spend decent coin in order to do so. Whether or not Davis fits into the Lakers' long term plans remains to be seen.
In the short term, Davis will play game no. 67 against the Utah Jazz on Thursday night at Staples Center.
Notes: Reading Davis' quotes from his signing day with the Lakers, the power forward has lived up to the description he provided on day no. 1. Also, wearing Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak's college number and having attended the executive's Alma Mater certainly do not hurt Davis' chances of returning to the Lakers.
