Ed Davis' Breakout Season More Important Than Ever for Los Angeles Lakers

It's a good thing the Los Angeles Lakers invested in Ed Davis this summer because they're going to wring every last ounce of productivity out of him in the coming months. 

After rookie power forward Julius Randle suffered a broken right tibia in the Lakers' season-opening loss to the Houston Rockets Tuesday night, Davis will assume a role as the club's temporary frontcourt savior. 

Randle is now officially out for the season after undergoing surgery, the team announced Wednesday afternoon: 

While Randle was expected to provide glimpses of a future paved with quick first steps, abundant athleticism and aggression on the glass, the Purple and Gold will be forced to turn to a relatively unproven Davis. 

Since being drafted in 2010, Davis has started 58 of a possible 276 regular-season games and has averaged just 20.8 minutes per contest. 

Mundane career averages of 6.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocks don't paint a particularly pretty picture either. 

But perhaps that's because Davis has never been put in a position advantageous to sustained success. 

After a truncated stay with the Toronto Raptors, Davis was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies as the presumed centerpiece of a deal that shipped Rudy Gay north of the border. 

However, Davis' role was continually marginalized: first by former Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins and then by his successor, Dave Joerger.

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During Davis' time in Memphis, he started a grand total of eight games while averaging a shade over 15 minutes per night as regular playing time proved scarce in a frontcourt consisting of Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and eventually Kosta Koufos. 

Thanks to the Raptors and Grizzlies, Davis' value depreciated rapidly. 

However, that opened the door for the Lakers to steal Davis off the open market this summer when they signed him to a two-year, $2 million deal. 

It's rare teams can find any steals at the veteran minimum, much less 25 year olds with loads of upside. 

But the Lakers may have struck gold, as Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley outlined in September: 

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Over the last two seasons, he is one of only seven players to average at least 13 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per 36 minutes while shooting at least 53 percent from the field. Davis' 17.1 PER during that stretch ranks ahead of two players on that list, including Marcin Gortat (16.7), who signed a five-year, $60 million pact to stick with the Washington Wizards this summer.

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Aside from the numbers, though, Davis offers the Lakers a unique skill set that none of the team's other bigs possess. 

First and foremost, Davis plays above the rim. 

As Tuesday night's loss to the Rockets exemplified, Davis is far and away L.A.'s most explosive leaper, making him the team's most reliable rim protector. 

“Ed Davis. He’s the guy who has done the best job protecting the rim for us,” Lakers head coach Byron Scott told reporters earlier this month, according to the Los Angeles Daily News' Mark Medina. “He’s also our best roller and screen setter.”

While Jordan Hill and Carlos Boozer play rugged, sturdier roles on both ends, Davis represents a nice athletic complement. As the video above demonstrates, Davis' lateral quickness allows him to function as a forceful help defender from the weak side, which will make him a valuable piece of the Lakers' interior defense this season. 

And considering how flimsy the Lakers' perimeter defense is, a springy presence like Davis can help partially mitigate the negative of effects of penetrators who thrive via dribble drives. 

But where exactly will Davis be most comfortable? 

At 6'10'' and a muscular 225 pounds with a 7'0'' wingspan, according to DraftExpress, Davis is capable of playing either the 4 or the 5. 

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For his career, Davis has played 55 percent of his minutes at power forward and spent 44 percent of his minutes at center, according to Basketball-Reference.com. 

That versatility will be invaluable as the season progresses.   

According to 82games.com, Davis was a slightly better defender at the 4 last season, limiting opponents to a player efficiency rating of 13.8 when lining up at at the 4. However, it's worth noting Davis still managed to hold opposing centers to a below-average PER (14.8) as well. 

On offense, the story differs. 

Last season, Davis' PER at center (21.6) sat 9.5 points higher than his efficiency rating at power forward (12.1), per 82games. Additionally, Davis' effective field-goal percentage at the 5 ballooned to 62.3 while he failed to cross the 44 percent threshold at power forward.

While scoring 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 22 minutes Tuesday evening, Davis' offerings as a multidimensional frontcourt weapon were apparent. 

With enough cushion, Davis can use a few strong dribbles to work his way into the paint. In transition, he's agile enough to run the floor, catch passes and make swift cuts to the basket. On the blocks, his feet are quick enough to facilitate turnaround hooks. 

But what we didn't see on Tuesday was Davis operating as a high screener and determined roller. With Memphis, those were the plays where Davis excelled, according to Buckley:

"What can be gleaned from his stat sheet, though, is that he stays within himself (career 54.2 field-goal percentage) and does damage as a pick-and-roll screener. His 1.26 points per possession on those plays were the sixth-best in the business, via Synergy Sports (subscription required).

Fortunately, there's plenty of time for Davis to gain comfort with Jeremy Lin and Ronnie Price as his primary pick-and-roll partners, which means lobs will eventually be presented for smashing on a more consistent basis. 

So as Randle faces an extended period of recuperation, Davis has a chance to seize the moment in a purple-and-gold relationship that could prove to be mutually beneficial. 

Not only does Davis offer the Lakers temporary relief at an affordable cost, but the former lottery pick will be given a chance to earn contractual security now that he owns a player option worth $1.1 million for next season, according to ShamSports.com. 

Presented with a full season to prove his worth as a steady contributor off the bench in multiple roles, the breakout season that's eluded Davis is firmly within the realm of possibility as L.A. soldiers on.