“He’s the player of the match,” launched Steve Kerr a few minutes after the Warriors' unexpected victory in overtime against the Celtics who had arrived at the Chase Center firmly anchored in first place in the Eastern Conference.
The technician was not talking about Stephen Curry, once again decisive and author of 20 of his 33 points after the third quarter, or Klay Thompson, who confirms, with 24 points, his return to form. No, Steve Kerr was talking about Tracey Jackson-Davishis 23-year-old rookie center who recorded his first career double-double last night with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Soon in the starting five?
“He was the player who changed the game,” analyzed Steve Kerr. “With a +/- of +25, you can see the impact he had on the game. He's going to play… When I say he's going to play, I'm saying he's part of our rotation, I'm not saying he's going to start games. Be careful, let's not put the cart before the horse. »
This precision says a lot. After all, the other rookie in the squad, Brandin Podziemski, was inserted into the starting five a week ago as his performances were superior to that of Andrew Wiggins. With Draymond Green suspended, Kevon Looney less bleeding than the last two seasons, and Dario Saric useful in attack but transparent in defense, the question deserves to be asked.
Besides the statistics, Trayce Jackson-Davis had already had a good game this weekend against the Blazers (14 points, 8 rebounds). It is his athletic qualities that make him an interesting candidate for this starting place in Golden State. The Warriors are in fact the team with the fewest counterattacks in the league this season.
This night, the son of Dale Davis started his match by crushing a lay-up from Jaylen Brown on the board, while until then the Warriors offered an “open house” in their racket. He ended his match with another counter on a dunk attempt from the same Jaylen Brown!
Kuminga, Podziemski, Jackson-Davis, Moody…
“It brings us another dimension,” explained Chris Paul, about Trayce Jackson-Davis. “He plays above the circle, he changes our opponents’ shots. We need his athletic qualities because he has a different profile from Loon (Kevon Looney), who is always well placed, or from Dario Saric, who excels on “pick & pop”. In Portland and tonight, we had some wide open 3-pointers thanks to the pressure he puts on the rim. And like I told him, this kind of thing doesn't show up on the stats sheet but it's just as important. »
After being very patient with his veterans, Steve Kerr seems more and more open to the idea of simply fielding the players who deserve it the most. This was the case with Brandin Podziemski (20 years old), but it is also the case with Jonathan Kuminga (21 years old).
The winger was decisive this night in defense against Jayson Tatum and also shone thanks to his athletic qualities. To this very young core, we must also add Moses Moody (21 points), author of 10 points against the Celtics, who was able to take advantage of the absence of Gary Payton II to settle into Steve Kerr's rotation.
In addition to their youth and enthusiasm, these four players bring an athletic dimension that veterans no longer necessarily have and that is decisive in this series of three consecutive victories. With the Wizards and the Blazers arriving at the Chase Center back-to-back this weekend, Golden State can hope to get back above 50% of victories before a perilous trip to Denver on Christmas Eve.
Comments collected in San Francisco.
