Utah Jazz: the three most unsung heroes of this season

Ed Davis

It’s been a strange season for Ed Davis. Initially signed on to be the primary backup of Rudy Gobert, I thought he would fit in quite well. Quin Snyder loves getting players that play defense, and Davis was a good shot blocker and rebounder before he came here.

He signed here because he wanted to win a championship, and he wanted to play with his former teammate Mike Conley. Last October, Damian Lillard even went as far as to call Ed Davis his “favorite teammate” of all-time.

His play was sub par in the very beginning, but nobody really noticed because 1) the Jazz were winning, and 2) Davis wasn’t the only one struggling out of the gates.

Then he exited the game in Sacramento with what was initially believed to be a leg contusion. He was able to walk off the court on his own power, but it ended up being a leg fracture. Davis missed the next 12 games recovering, and suddenly it felt like his presence was sorely missed.

The next man up was Tony Bradley, who had good flashes particularly on offense, but couldn’t protect the rim worth a darn. His inexperience was obvious once he stepped on the court, and to make matters worse there was a two game span in which both Gobert and Davis were out with injury.

Once Ed Davis was back from his injury, he still struggled on the court to hold his own against backup centers. The Jazz bench could not hold a lead while their starters would rest, and Davis was part of that problem.

So coach Snyder elected to go with Tony Bradley as the primary backup center starting the 28th of December. Instead of being bitter and resentful, reports are that Davis has been the main guy mentoring Bradley and cheering him to be his best self.

That’s a special kind of unselfishness I’ve rarely seen in the NBA. Davis does not get enough credit for his team-first mentality, and for the record I hope he gets his mojo back giving the Jazz two capable backup centers come playoff time.