Glen Davis' first season with the Orlando Magic hasn't gone nearly as well as he and the team may have hoped. In addition to shooting a dismal 35.1 percent from the field, the 6-foot-8 power forward has suffered the loss of his grandmother and his father, questioned his move to Orlando from the Boston Celtics, been suspended for two games after a verbal confrontation with coach Stan Van Gundy, and received boos from the Amway Center crowd... and the season isn't quite halfway through.
In Sunday's loss to the Miami Heat, Davis' first game since attending his father's funeral, he scored 12 points on 3-of-10 shooting. It was Davis' sixth double-digit scoring performance of the season, and his first since January 24th. After the game, Davis reflected on what he needs to do to get back on track.
"With my grandmother’s death and now my father dying, I’ve got to be mentally strong right now," Davis told John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com. He continued, "I have to take it to another level completely with my focus. I’ve got to leave (the grief) out of here when I come in."
Davis is having arguably the worst-shooting season of any rotation player in the league. Among players who have taken at least 200 shots, but fewer than 10 three-pointers, Davis has the lowest field-goal percentage; further, he and Tyler Hansbrough are the only such players shooting below 40 percent.
"Knowing my potential I can only go up from here," said Davis. And he's positively right: if he can improve his shot-selection and begin sinking mid-range jumpers with relative ease, he can really provide a boost to Orlando's bench, which is wanting in offense apart from J.J. Redick and the little-used Von Wafer.
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