TJD’s undeniable Warriors evolution that deserves a reward originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – While coach Steve Kerr isn’t ready to announce his starting lineup for opening night, it’s becoming clear that a guy who was young early last season with DNPs and G League assignments will be at center if the Warriors make this season a tip.
Trayce Jackson-Davis played 127 minutes during the preseason, more than anyone besides Jonathan Kuminga, and his evolution is undeniable. It’s something that Kerr and his staff have noticed and concluded deserves a reward.
TJD’s third consecutive preseason start came Friday night in a 132-74 rout of a Los Angeles Lakers team that wisely rested all of its starters on the second night of a back-to-back preseason.
The opposition didn’t matter. Jackson-Davis also started against the Lakers on Tuesday when Golden State prevailed despite having both Anthony Davis and LeBron James lined up. Jackson-Davis joined four-time NBA champions Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, and the 2021 draft pick selected Kuminga as the only Warriors to start at least four preseason games.
This is the kind of lofty company that Jackson-Davis, a second-round draft pick (57th overall) out of Golden State 16 months ago, holds. The kind of company he will keep as long as he is active. Literal.
That was the message Kerr delivered to Jackson-Davis late last season and during training camp this season. The idea of a Jackson-Davis sprint, with wings Andrew Wiggins and Kuminga, is considered essential to Golden State’s desired style.
“The biggest thing he told me was to play with force,” said Jackson-Davis, who finished Friday with 12 points and five assists but just one rebound. “And in preseason, running was another thing that was huge. Running around the floor, sprinting and getting guys open shots just by putting pressure on the rim.
“I feel like I’ve done a much better job sprinting and lunging and rimming the last three games.”
Jackson-Davis connected on a pair of dunks on lob passes, something the Warriors want to see as a matter of routine.
The gravity created by a center walking the floor is part of the basketball geometry that Kerr hopes to ingrain in the minds of his young center.
“We talk to him all the time,” Kerr said. “When he sprints across the floor, you feel it. I say the same to JK and Wiggs. We need those guys to get out and sprint.
“Trayce has done that especially in the last three games.”
“When he sprints across the floor, you feel it.”
Steve Kerr shares how Trayce Jackson-Davis has developed ahead of his second NBA season pic.twitter.com/ntEDHeOtN7
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 19, 2024
There may be times when Kerr studies matchups and decides to open with Kevon Looney or Green. But his reasons for choosing Jackson-Davis are many. And two assets that only he can provide – a lob threat on offense, rim protection on defense – are just the beginning.
The Warriors are small by league standards and have a mandate to make runs based on good, misses and steals. Run when you get the ball. They want to get their opponents tongues wagging. No one in Golden State’s rotation is taller than Jackson-Davis (6-foot-1). Like Kuminga and Wiggins, he is built to gallop.
“I like that we played fast last game,” Kerr said before tipoff, referencing a 111-97 win over LA on Tuesday. “And that’s what I’m especially looking for from Wiggs, JK and Trayce. When those guys run the floor in both directions, we’re a different team.
The two ‘greats’ who can fulfill this wish are Jackson-Davis and Green. And Kerr has made it clear for years that center Draymond is a change-of-pace option who is most effective in limited minutes. Looney excels at rebounding, but outright sprinting is just not part of his game.
Then there’s this: Green and Jackson-Davis formed an imposing defensive front in limited minutes last season. They showed Golden State’s best defensive stats together. Draymond has been an elite defender for years; TJD hopes to achieve that status.
“We had a good relationship together last year,” Jackson-Davis said. “That’s just something that will continue to grow. He has already taught me a lot. I can’t wait to learn more.”
It is certain that Curry and Green will start next Wednesday evening against the Trail Blazers in Portland. It is fully expected that Kuminga will start. And Wiggins has found himself in a position to stake a claim to join Curry in the backcourt.
Jackson-Davis may be the least certain to start. But his 16-month journey means there’s a good chance he’ll walk away before the opening tip.
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