At Golden State, the logic of the summer was clear: it was no longer a question of developing “potentials”, the new GM, Mike Dunleavy Jr, wanted players capable of being effective immediately.
And with his complete curriculum at Indiana, Trayce Jackson-Davis (2m06, 23 years old) fits perfectly into this logic.
Starting in the last preseason game against the Kings, the son of Dale Davis did very well, compiling 13 points at 6/14 shooting and 10 rebounds against Domantas Sabonis (12 points at 4/10, 10 rebounds and 8 assists), including important finishes in the fourth quarter to help his team achieve the hold-up.
“It’s so cool to see Trayce, a rookie, take on an All-Star center like Sabonis”, Steve Kerr explained. “It’s a great experience for him. And he was great. Just in terms of rebounds. He scored. He increased the number of rolls towards the circle, to give us a vertical threat. Defensively, he fought. The referees really treat him like a rookie. He makes a lot of mistakes that seem a little questionable to me. But he is so easy to train. He has excellent foundations. He understands how to play basketball. He played 125 games in college. He comes to us as a much more finished product than most recruits these days.”
Advice from Draymond Green
And that’s a key point for the coach, who can’t afford to let young players learn from their mistakes as Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson age.
Will Trayce Jackson-Davis be an integral part of Steve Kerr’s rotation this season, taking over from Kevon Looney, Dario Saric or even Draymond Green? This will be an interesting point to follow on the Warriors side, but the rookie can already benefit from the mentoring of the former best defender of the year.
” He is great “ he explainswhen asked about influence and advice by Draymond Green. “Especially tonight, he gave me a lot of advice on how to defend on Sabonis, what he does very well and what works against him. I think I did it pretty well in the first half. In the second half, I was a little tired, a little lethargic and I did some things he hadn’t told me about. But at the end of the day, he’s been really great for me and he’s really helping me make the transition (from the NCAA to the NBA).”
