Evaluating Glen Davis

It took him six seasons, two teams, and three coaches, but in 2012/13, Glen Davis finally found a situation in which he could become a go-to offensive player. The LSU product opened the Orlando Magic's season as the team's co-captain, sharing those duties with Jameer Nelson, and celebrated his new on- and off-court responsibilities by jacking shots with a level of recklessness not often seen in bigs.

For the season, Davis' usage rate stood at 25.4 percent, the fifth straight year it's increased. Players of Davis' caliber shouldn't have such offensive freedom. Like Arron Afflalo, Davis is asked to do far too much on this rebuilding Magic team.

That's the trouble with evaluating Orlando's players: we have to grade them on how they performed, but many of the players did poorly not due to a lack of their own talent, but rather because of the team's situation. Davis has plenty to offer as an NBA player, particularly on the defensive end, where he's able to hold his ground in the post without fouling. The Magic's season went off the rails when Davis sprained his shoulder against the Washington Wizards in December precisely because they don't have anyone else remotely on his level defensively.

Davis offered defensive aptitude and the ability to create shots for himself, though quite often those shots were low-percentage. He's not a bad player at all, but just miscast.

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