On Wednesday, the Golden State Warriors thrashed the Milwaukee Bucks 125-90 at Chase Center and reclaimed the ninth spot in the Western Conference standings from the Los Angeles Lakers. The Warriors controlled proceedings from the tip-off and built a 20-point lead by halftime. However, the Bucks had an incredible third quarter and outscored the home team 23-15 to cut the deficit to 12 heading into the final quarter. The Warriors were seemingly at risk of blowing another massive lead, but had their best defensive quarter of the season, holding the Bucks to only nine points to secure the win.
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Stephen Curry led the way for the Warriors with 29 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, while Jonathan Kuminga played an excellent supporting role with 20 points. However, the story of the game was rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis‘ stellar performance off the bench. He scored 15 points, 11 in the second half, grabbed six rebounds, and blocked Giannis Antetokounmpo four times in only 19 minutes to help his side pummel the Bucks.
Jackson-Davis averaged only 6.8 minutes in his first seven appearances in February but has featured heavily since. In his last eight outings, the rookie played almost 15 minutes per game and has averaged 8.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. While he was a rotational player for most of the season, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr revealed his increased workload is part of a larger plan. In the post-game press conference, the veteran coach said,
“We got to get Trayce more minutes to get him ready for the playoffs because he needs reps, he needs more time. You saw what he did tonight. He has an ability to finish and to block shots that gives us a different look. So we decided to ramp up his minutes.”
Kerr’s proclamation is massive news for Jackson-Davis, but he isn’t getting carried away. In a post-game interview, he was asked about his incredible outing and he responded,
“It’s a surreal moment but you just gotta build off of it. You just gotta keep stacking days, keep stacking games. Credit to coach for giving me confidence. Credit to the players for giving me confidence. And Glory to God, first and foremost.”
Jackson-Davis was flying on both ends of the floor against the Bucks, but he’s keeping his feet on the ground as his career takes off. The Warriors’ scouting department has worked its magic again and found an impactful two-way prospect, who could become a critical contributor in the playoffs.
Brandin Podziemski lauds Trayce Jackson-Davis
The Warriors’ other rookie star, guard Brandin Podziemski, praised Trayce Jackson-Davis’ impact and spoke about his fall towards the conclusion of the 2023 NBA draft. He said,
“He’s a really good player. He was an All-American in college… His skills are really translating at the NBA level, which isn’t common for guys who stay four years [in college]. But he’s a special one and his skills translate well and he understands basketball. He never gets outside his box and does all the things we need from him every night.”
Podziemski added that he was surprised that Jackson-Davis fell to 57th in the 2023 NBA draft. The Indiana Hoosiers star had an excellent senior year in college. He averaged 20.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, four assists, and 2.9 blocks. His stellar numbers and ability to impact both ends of the floor should’ve been enough to entice a team to pick him late in the first round or early in the second.
However, Jackson-Davis fell to 57th and the Warriors gladly took him with their second-round pick. After the draft, he fired a warning to the 29 other teams on X, formerly called Twitter, writing,
“Y’all will regret it… I promise you.”
The rookie is fulfilling his promise. Teams across the league would line up to pick him in a re-draft. However, the Warriors recognized his potential and are benefitting from it. Jackson-Davis is trending towards joining the enviable list of Warriors’ homegrown stars.
