Trayce Jackson-Davis Makes Indiana Homecoming With Golden State Warriors
Back home again in Indiana.
That was the case for former Hoosiers star Trayce Jackson-Davis Thursday night, as he and the Golden State Warriors traveled to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. to take on the Indiana Pacers. The Warriors got the best of the Pacers, cruising to a 131-109 victory in a game they led from start to finish.
In his rookie season, Jackson-Davis' role on the Warriors remains inconsistent on a nightly basis, but he made the most of his opportunity Thursday. In just three minutes of action, Jackson-Davis scored six points, grabbed two rebounds and blocked one shot. He made 2-of-3 attempts from the field and hit both free throws.
"It felt good just being able to come home," Jackson-Davis. said. "Obviously this is the longest I've ever been away from home, like eight months. So just coming back getting the ovation that I got and just all the hard work I put into the university, it felt good."
Indiana fans are certainly used to seeing this kind of highlight-reel dunk from Jackson-Davis.
The Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd gave him a warm welcome when he checked into the game, chanting "TJD, TJD, TJD."
For someone who attended Center Grove High School in Greenwood, Ind., just outside Indianapolis, it was a cool moment.
"At the beginning of the fourth quarter, there were little spurts were like, 'TJD, put TJD in!' And toward the middle, like 6-5 minutes left, then that's when I think everyone heard it," Jackson-Davis said.
"Indiana is a special place," Jackson-Davis posted on X after the game.
"I heard the chants, and it was great to see," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. "My favorite play of the game is literally he gets in the game and [Jonathan Kuminga] finds him for the lob. And you saw the joy on JK's face, and it's fun to see young guys kind of coming of age. Part of that is really enjoying the achievements and accomplishments of their teammates, and that's when it really starts to click. That's what I'm feeling with this group right now."
A few of Jackson-Davis' former teammates at Indiana – Anthony Leal, Trey Galloway and Xavier Johnson – attended Thursday's game and took a picture together.
Trey Galloway spoke Friday about the experience of watching his former teammate in the NBA.
"It was great. I wish he got more minutes," Galloway said. "But no, it was really cool to go down there and support him because I know he'd do the same for me and he's going to. He'll be back here soon, hopefully. But no, it's been good. We talk every day, text back and forth, sometimes call, but it's good to kind of just hear from him because obviously he's been through it all. There's been times when we've been down and he texts me, just picking me up and stuff. But no, it's a great relationship that me and him have."
Jackson-Davis also took a moment to meet with Indiana recruiting target Braylon Mullins, a guard in the class of 2025 from Greenfield-Central High School.
The Warriors are just past the midway point of the regular season and hold a 24-25 record. Jackson-Davis has appeared in 37 of those games with three starts. He's averaging 6.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.8 blocks per game.
Though his minutes have decreased in recent weeks, Jackson-Davis was getting a lot of playing time in December and January. From Dec. 17 to Jan. 24, he played double-digit minutes in 16 games, including nine games of at least 21 minutes. He has four double-doubles this season and scored a career-high 19 points on Jan. 10 against the Pelicans.
Kerr sees young players like Jackson-Davis as valuable pieces to the Warriors this season.
"We're going to be able to withstand injuries and absences at a lot of positions because these young guys can all play," Kerr said Thursday.
Jackson-Davis graduated Indiana as the program's all-time leader in rebounds and blocks, and he finished third on the all-time scoring list behind Steve Alford and Calbert Cheaney. As a senior, he was a consensus first-team All-American and averaged 20.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.9 blocks.
The Warriors' next game will be aired on ABC on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET against the Phoenix Suns.
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