In just his first season as a Trail Blazer, Ed Davis has quickly become a fan favorite in Rip City. Though not a flamboyant personality, Davis lets his play speak for itself, earning the admiration among fans with his hustle, relentless pursuit of rebounds and hard-nosed defense through the first half of 2015-16.

Davis sat down with Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy recently for an in-depth interview to discuss the transition of moving from Los Angeles to Portland and his place within the Trail Blazers organization:

“Here, we’re trying to build something... It’s just different [in Portland]. Obviously in LA they want those big stars and they’re not really trying to keep a core together. Now they’re starting to do it because they aren’t getting those top free agents in. Here, there’s just stability. You know that guys are going to be around for a while. You don’t have the feeling that you could get traded any minute or that they’re going to bring a superstar in [to replace you]. You can just focus on doing your job. You know [the plan] and that everything is going to be fine.”

In Portland's rotation, Davis has become one of the NBA's most prolific big men off the bench. The former North Carolina Tar Heel leads all reserves with 117 rebounds off the bench, and is second with 294 total rebounds. Davis' seven double-doubles this season are second among all bench players in the NBA.

Davis is thriving in his new city, thanks in-part to his relationship with head coach Terry Stotts:

“There are a lot of other guys here who are also in their first year on this team, so that makes it easier too because we’re all in the same position. It’s a great organization and Coach [Terry] Stotts is probably the coolest coach who I’ve played for in my whole life. [The transition] has just been so easy.”

Read the Kennedy's entire article at Basketball Insiders. The Trail Blazers continue play Friday in New York versus the Brooklyn Nets.