Steve Kerr Sees Trayce Jackson-Davis Fitting Well With Golden State Warriors

Former Indiana star Trayce Jackson-Davis begins his NBA career with the Golden State Warriors in just one month. Despite his late second-round draft selection, he could be in line for minutes with the Warriors, as head coach Steve Kerr said Jackson-Davis, "plays the way we like to play."

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Some players picked late in the second round never find their way into an NBA rotation, but Trayce Jackson-Davis could be an outlier.

Jackson-Davis was drafted No. 57 overall out of Indiana, and was acquired by the Warriors in a draft-day trade with the Washington Wizards. He's one of five players competing for minutes at the center position during training camp, along with Kevon Looney, Draymond Green, Dario Saric and Usman Garuba.

Jackson-Davis is somewhat rare for an NBA rookie, because he has four years of college experience. So much of the NBA draft is based around forecasting potential, which can put college veterans off a team's radar. 

But Warriors coach Steve Kerr sees this experience as a plus for Jackson-Davis, who graduated from Indiana as the school's all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots. Across four years, Jackson-Davis started 126 games, was a four-time All-Big Ten player, two-time Big Ten All-Defense and a consensus first-team All-American as a senior. 

After averaging 20.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.9 blocks under coach Mike Woodson in 2022-23, Jackson-Davis left Indiana ranked No. 3 on the school's all-time scoring list, behind Calbert Cheaney and Steve Alford. 

"Trayce is an impressive young prospect," Kerr said. "You don't see that kind of college experience that often anymore, but you immediately recognize the experience level and the advantage that gives him."

Not only does Jackson-Davis carry a loaded college resume to Golden State, but Kerr also believes he fits their style. And for late second-round draft picks like Jackson-Davis, fit can ultimately be more important for a long-term career than draft placement.

"What I like about Trayce, he plays the way we like to play," Kerr said. "He's a good passer, a dribble-handoff guy at the top of the key, a good screener, gives us a lob threat that we don't otherwise have, which is a really nice addition. I think he's a kind of guy who feels the game well. He's got good feel for passing, cutting, movement. A lot of the stuff that we already run, he runs really well. So Trayce is a really intriguing prospect, and it'll be really fun to watch him play."

Golden State vice president of basketball operation Mike Dunleavy Jr. said the Warriors won't play multiple centers together. In the past, they've even been known to play ultra-small lineups, revolving around Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. The Warriors traded for veteran point guard Chris Paul this offseason, perhaps enhancing that small-ball style of play. 

As a result, they're extra careful when picking personnel to play the center position.

"Just because a guy is tall, or just because a guy can shoot, or just because a guy is athletic, doesn't necessarily mean they can fit in the way we play," Dunleavy said. "So we have to be very mindful of that and will continue to do so, but I like the five guys we can play at center right now. I think they all fit well with how Steve wants to play, and I'm looking forward to evaluating in the next few weeks."

Looney and Green are the two most likely Warriors to fill this role, as they've each been on the team for eight-plus seasons. But Green more often plays a forward-like position than he does center. Golden State likes to save their lineups with Green at center for high leverage situations in the playoffs. More often, Green is starting next to Looney, along with Curry, Thompson and Andrew Wiggins. 

The regular season backup center role for the Warriors should be an open competition amongst the trio of Jackson-Davis, Garuba and Saric. Garuba is a young center who is largely unproven, and while the 29-year-old Saric has had nice stretches in the NBA over his career, he hasn't been been the same player since he tore his ACL in Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Finals. Jackson-Davis has a very real chance to win the backup starting center job behind Looney in the 2023-24 season. 

The Warriors begin preseason play on Oct. 7 against the Los Angeles Lakers, which means Jackson-Davis will go up against his college pick-and-role mate Jalen Hood-Schifino, the No. 17 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. This game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Bay Area and NBATV. The Warriors and Lakers face off again on Oct. 13, and that game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

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