Warriors: Jackson-Davis ready to pounce on opportunity with Green out
indefinitely
Golden State Warriors could use Trayce Jackson-Davis' size and athleticism

>Golden State Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis #32 dunks in the fourth
quarter of their NBA game against the Sacramento Kings at the Chase
Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. (Jane
Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
By SHAYNA RUBIN | srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: December 18, 2023 at 12:52 p.m. | UPDATED: December 18, 2023
at 1:04 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/12/18/trayce-jackson-davis-ready-to-pounce-on-opportunity-with-draymond-green-out-indefinitely/

PORTLAND — The Warriors are thin enough in the front court. But for the
next three weeks, at least, that frontcourt will have to stand on its
own without its foundation in Draymond Green.

Now, the center rotation especially is a floating mishmash of undefined
variables; Kevon Looney has regressed and is sometimes unplayable
against mobile, athletic teams. Dario Saric is a floor-spacing asset on
offense, but not often the solution on defense.

Even with a thin paint presence, rookie center Trayce Jackson-Davis is
often buried on the bench, mostly because of a few iffy stints here and
there. But the Warriors need him to the front of the bench pronto.

Jackson-Davis saw an extended run against Portland when Saric ran into
foul trouble early in the first half and gave Golden State a look on
both ends they haven’t had consistently since the Zaza Pachulia and
JaVale McGee days. The kind of game the coach Steve Kerr could lean in
on while the rotation experimentation light is on.

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“Before every game, we say let’s see if we can get Trayce out there,”
Kerr said. “He’s impressive. You see how athletic he is.”

Jackson-Davis flew high for a team-leading eight rebounds, boxing out
and getting over big-money Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton. He had
two steals and a block — the Warriors, notably, rank 29th in the league
in blocks.

The rookie also the Warriors all kinds of scoring options in the paint.
He scored eight of his 14 points off the pick-and-roll with Steph Curry,
Chris Paul and Andrew Wiggins finding him in open space in the paint for
an easy bucket. A handful came on entry passes or cuts where
Jackson-Davis used his length to score over Portland’s iffy defense. And
when Portland sent extra help to Jackson-Davis off the roll, the rookie
made quick decisions to pass the ball out to the open man — one time in
the fourth quarter resulting in an open corner 3 for Wiggins.

“He did amazing,” Klay Thompson said. “Deandre Ayton is a tough matchup.
He’s big as well. Trayce played so good tonight, finishing the rim,
almost had a double-double, making plays off the pick-and-roll. Playing
like a seasoned vet. And he’s a rookie, which is great for the Dubs.
He’s looking like the steal of the draft.”

Kerr is already shuffling his deck to dig out of this 12-14 start.
They’re 2-1 with a new starting five that hosts rookie Brandin
Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga next to Curry, Thompson and Kevon
Looney. Jackson-Davis is in the shuffle, but his card hasn’t been drawn
much yet. He played 18 minutes and has played at least 15 minutes just
six times this year.

A Warriors team in disarray has the space to let Jackson-Davis claim his
spot.