#4 Signing Ed Davis
Plain and simple, Ed Davis brings an attitude and a willingness to crash the glass. The Nets ranked 24th in offensive rebound percentage and 19th in defensive rebound percentage during the 2017-18 season. Davis should improve upon both of these percentages with his 7.4 rebounds per game average from last season.
Additionally, Davis averaged a career-high 14.1 rebounds per 36 minutes last year. Davis will bring a tenacity inside that the Nets desperately need.
And of course, it doesn’t hurt that Davis is coming in on a one-year deal on the cheap. The former Trail Blazer is determined to prove himself this season and he’s hoping Brooklyn will be a launch pad for him to sign a more lucrative, long-term deal somewhere in 2019. A hungry player in a contract year is never a bad guy to have on the roster.
The Nets were aggressive in pursuit of Davis this offseason. They’re hoping that Davis will show that same level of aggression on the court.
#3 Re-Signing Joe Harris
It is extremely hard to dislike this move. Marks and the Nets bring back Joe Harris on a two-year deal worth $16 million. Harris has come into his own under Atkinson and there’s no reason to believe he’s done improving. After two disappointing seasons in Cleveland, Harris found his way to Brooklyn on a cheap deal.
But with the Nets, Harris began to find his stride. He’s found a home in Atkinson’s offensive scheme, developing into a knockdown three-point shooter. Harris shot 41.9 percent on 4.6 attempts per game from behind the arc last season. Harris is proof-positive of Brooklyn’s player development department.
Not to mention, Harris is a shining example of someone who chose the Nets over more secure and more lucrative options. Harris told Mike Scotto of The Athletic:
“I had some offers for longer-term deals, but ultimately from the get-go, I had basically said that I wanted to stay in Brooklyn and however we could come to an agreement on that.”
Don’t get it twisted, convincing Joe Harris to remain in town is a far cry from convincing a max-level player to come to Brooklyn, but this quote from Harris speaks volumes to the culture developing within the Nets organization.
Harris has the potential to be a key rotational piece for Kenny Atkinson moving forward and perhaps he can serve as an example of a player that yearns to play for the organization when Sean Marks is making his recruiting pitches to the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler and Klay Thompson. Don’t gloss over this move because it has implications in the long and short-term.
