My Two Cents: Trayce Jackson-Davis Has Earned Right To Make Big Career Decision
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — It wasn't so much that Trayce Jackson-Davis' announcement on Saturday was big news. It just sets the tone for the big news that's about to come in six weeks or so.
Jackson-Davis, the 6-foot-9 forward who's been Indiana's best player the past three years, announced on social media Saturday that he was entering the 2022 NBA Draft process.
What does that mean? Actually, it's more about what it DOESN'T mean.
So let's be clear about several things. This does not mean that his Indiana basketball career is over. Not even close, really. Because all Jackson-Davis is doing right now is entering the draft process. When he files his paperwork with the NBA, he will then be allowed to start talking with — and working out for — various pro teams that might have an interest in him. He's going to do that, and it has to be done by April 24. That's what gets the ball rolling on his decision-making process
It also means he could get an invite to the all-important NBA Combine, which is May 16-22 in Chicago. The top players in the draft are usually there, and it would be a great stage for Jackson-Davis to prove what he can do straight up against some of the best players in the country — and the world, for that matter. He will learn a lot about himself and his game in the next month.
The big deadline for news is June 1. That's the day underclassmen need to make a decision for staying in the draft or not. By then, Jackson-Davis can stay in the draft and start his professional career, or he could decide to play another year of college basketball, presumably at Indiana.
I'm not trying to stir any pot here, but facts are facts. Jackson-Davis technically has two years of eligibility left because of the 2021 COVID year, and he does have the right to transfer without sitting out. He's signed some nice NIL deals with Indiana-based people, but it's the wild, wild west out there right now. So don't assume that Jackson-Davis is 100 percent coming back to Indiana until HE SAYS HE IS.
Jackson-Davis needs to take this next step to get solid feedback from the people who matter the most — executives with NBA teams who might want to hire him. It's very important because Jackson-Davis, despite playing in a high-profile program like Indiana, is still something of an unknown for NBA teams.
Oh, they've scouted him hard and know his game well, but what I mean by unknown is that Trayce doesn't really know how interested they are in him. Some teams might be more interested than others right now, and I do know that several NBA teams want to get him in for workouts. No mock drafts have him in the first round, and he's only mentioned as a second-round pick in a handful of mocks.
The reality of his Indiana career so far, through two years with Archie Miller and this past year with new coach Mike Woodson, is that Jackson-Davis has been a pure center in college. Nearly all of his points in three years have come just a few feet from the basket.
He's never made a three-pointer in college and, to be honest, hasn't really shot any, either. He was technically 0-for-3 this year, but those were all end-of-clock heaves, not actual shots as part of the offense.
He doesn't really have a mid-range game either, which isn't as big a deal as some fans still lost in the 1970s might think it is, but it's something that NBA scouts will want to see face-to-face.
That's the unknown, too, because he hasn't shown that skill in games. We thought we'd see more of that this year under Woodson, who was able to talk Jackson-Davis into staying by saying he would use his four decades of NBA experience as a player and a coach to get him NBA ready.
That didn't really happen this year, and it was a little tough to understand. Jackson-Davis had an admitted big slump for several weeks in February and the preseason All-American choice wasn't even a first-team Big Ten player. A five-game losing streak for Indiana was a part of that, though Trayce doesn't deserve blame for that as much as others do.
I admit I was pretty critical at the time, of both Jackson-Davis AND Woodson. I questioned Jackson-Davis' constant disappearing acts in the second halves of games, and documented it all with numbers — not opinion. (To read that column, CLICK HERE)
I also held Woodson accountable for Jackson-Davis' struggles, because we didn't see any growth in his game away from the basket. Woodson would often say that Jackson-Davis can make those mid-range jump shots in practice, but he wouldn't take them in games.
Jackson-Davis often said, too, that he was simply following orders.
“Really it’s just what Coach Woodson wants me to do. Right now, he wants me to be a back-to-the basket player for us,'' Jackson-Davis said. "Obviously I feel like I can do more, but at the same time, if he thinks that helps us win, I’ll do that for him. That’s Coach Woodson’s game plan, playing inside out, and that’s what we’re going to do.''
As I said in that column, I am very much a fan of Mike Woodson and his hire. Indiana was dramatically better this year, and the future is bright. But I still stand by my statement, that Woodson could have done more to get Jackson-Davis better looks in different spots. (Here's the link to that Woodson column. CLICK HERE)
The NBA folks will want to make their own determinations on Jackson-Davis' skill set and how it translates to the next level. And despite the criticism above, remember this very important fact. Jackson-Davis and Woodson have a great relationship, and both have a ton of respect for each other.
It's certainly going to be a factor in his decision to stay or go because he thoroughly enjoyed playing for Woodson this year, and he did make him better. Jackson-Davis was dramatically better defensively, and become one of the best shot blockers in the country under Woodson, thanks to his quickness and ability to roam in the range.
He was also much better with his post moves and rips, learning to be much better in going to his right, and finishing with his right hand. He was a handful to guard in a lot of games, scoring 27 points or more six times, and even going for 43 against Marshall. There was definite improvement for sure. And he dominated Michigan's Hunter Dickinson and Illinois' Kofi Cockburn in his Big Ten Tournament resurgence.
What Jackson-Davis likely will learn from NBA folks is that some people might like him more than others. He is a great athlete, and that's an unteachable tool that many NBA people love. And what you have to remember is that Jackson-Davis doesn't have to impress all 30 teams. It just takes one team to love you to get your NBA chance.
There are two rounds to the NBA Draft, so only 60 players get drafted. Only the first-round picks get guaranteed contracts, four-year deals that are life-changing. Second-round picks have to hope to find the right fit.
Here's a good example from a year ago, Iowa's Luka Garza. He was a great college player that Indiana fans know well, but he didn't get drafted until late in the second round, going to the Detroit Pistons with the No. 52 overall pick.
Just before the season, Garza signed a two-year contract worth $2,488,776 with the Pistons, including $925,258 guaranteed, and an annual average salary of $1,244,388. Garza played in 31 games this season, starting five, and averaged 5.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. All that guaranteed money was for THIS season, and it came only after training camp when Garza earned the 15th and final roster spot.
After the draft but before the season started, Garza had a much-smaller two-way deal with the Pistons, where he could have started in the G-League instead of the NBA. That salary is much lower, half of the league minimum of $925,000 — that's $462,500 for those of you who don't do that math.
And that's only for two-way deals. Every NBA team has its own G-League team now, and the players who get signed to play there only make between $37,000 and $125,000 per season, depending on their status with the team.
So that's the risk that Jackson-Davis is taking, but that's the wonderful thing about this new-ish rule where players can test the waters before making a decision. They get honest assessments from a lot of NBA voices before they pull the trigger and stay in the draft, or come back to college.
This is 100 percent Trayce's decision, and he will know everything he'll need to know in the next month or so. My gut tells me that he comes back to Indiana for another year, because what he'll hear from NBA folks is that he doesn't have a position there. He's not an NBA center at 6-9, and he hasn't yet shown the ability to play on the perimeter as a stretch four, at least on the offensive end. Defensively, he's fine, and NBA folks will tell him that, too.
For selfish reasons, of course, I do hope he comes back to Bloomington for his senior year. With the recruiting class coming in, this Indiana team with Jackson-Davis could be very good, like Big Ten title contenders good. They went from 12 to 21 wins this year, and got a taste of the postseason. He was brilliant in the Big Ten Tournament and beyond, snapping out of that slump in a big way. He loved the NCAA Tournament moments.
A full year of brilliant would be fun to watch.
The other part, from a personal standpoint, is that Trayce is a genuinely great kid who's a pleasure to deal with in my job. He answers every question, in good times and in bad, and he emerged as a tremendous team leader this year, embracing his younger teammates through thick and thin.
He has represented Indiana well during his three years. So let's let him do his due diligence in the next month or so, and find out all the answers. Let's let HIM make the decision, and support it either way.
It's his life, and his call. We all have to remember that.
