Trayce Jackson-Davis' Wild NBA Tour Comes Home To Indiana For a Day
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The 2023 NBA Draft is only two-plus weeks away now, and former Indiana Hoosiers star Trayce Jackson-Davis has been busy in the days and weeks leading up to it.
He's been working out for several teams now, a different NBA team just about every day. The Greenwood, Ind., native who played four years at Indiana, was in Indianapolis on Monday for a workout with the Pacers, who have five of the 60 picks picks in the draft, including three in the first round. He's got 10 more stops to make in the next two weeks.
“This is my fifth workout this week,'' Jackson-Davis told the media after his workout on Monday. "I was on the West Coast and now I’m going to do all of my East Coast workouts. Obviously being in your hometown, you’ve got a little bit of juice getting ready for this workout. I thought it went great today.
“Being able to be in your city, your hometown, it’s a blessing. Honestly, just being close to home and seeing your family and everything that comes with it. It’s amazing to be here.’’
The Pacers are his hometown team, and they've seen a lot of him at Indiana. But the NBA game is different, and the workouts are an important time to be evaluated again.
‘’They just wanted to see me play. Obviously, I go to school really close, but at the end of the day it’s a business and you have to do certain things on the floor,'' Jackson-Davis said. "I feel like I showcased my game and felt like I had a good workout.
‘’I’ve been in Los Angeles working on my game. Working on my 3-point shot and it’s something that I showcase in these workouts. The hard work I’ve been putting in has paid off. I am able to shoot threes and hit them in live segments, and that’s something I’m going to have to do at the next level.''
There is a lot of interest in Jackson-Davis, the No. 3 all-time leading scorer in Indiana history who also leads IU in rebounds and blocked shots. He is taking the maximum of 15 workouts, and heads off to Boston on Monday night for a workout with the Celtics on Tuesday.
"You're in a different city every two days, so you've just to give it your best,'' he said. "Today I just wanted to show them my ability to play basketball and do a lot of different things.
''Indiana has been my home for so long, so being here in a blessing. I was in Utah on Friday, and Saturday and Sunday, it was good to be home and spending time with everybody. At the end of the day, I'm going to see where it goes. It's been good to see some family.''
Jackson-Davis played around the basket almost exclusively during his four years at Indiana, so he's spent much of this offseason proving his shooting ability. He's happy with how it's all been going.
''Overall, I've just got to be a basketball player at the end of the day,'' he said. "I've been working hard on my shot, because I know I'll need to do that at the next level. But I know I can do a lot of things offensively and defensively, whether it's playing a small-ball five or a four. I feel I like can pass the ball and play those roles.''
Indiana basketball player Trayce Jackson-Davis takes part in graduation ceremonies last month in Bloomington. (USA TODAY Sports)
Jackson-Davis said he is excited about what's going on at his alma mater, too. Indiana has rebuilt quickly, with six newcomers on the way. He led the Hoosiers to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, and there appears to be more to come.
"I think they've got a lot of good pieces coming in,'' he said. "Mack (Mackenzie Mgbako, a five-star freshman) and Kel'el (Ware, a five-start sophomore transfer from Oregon) are two solid guys who will fill the roles of me and (Jalen Hood-Schifino) and I can't wait to see what they do.''
Here are the highlights of his workout on Monday. CLICK HERE
