Trayce Jackson-Davis has 'chip on my shoulder' after lasting to second-to-last draft pick
Trayce Jackson-Davis learned where the next stop in his basketball journey will take him. Though, the wait was perhaps longer than anticipated.
The 2019 IndyStar Mr. Basketball out of Center Grove was selected with the No. 57 pick in the 2023 NBA draft. The Golden State Warriors acquired the draft rights from the Washington Wizards. It was the second-to-last pick of the draft.
“Honestly, I was just anxious," Jackson-Davis told IndyStar. "I was anxious to see where I would end up. I wanted , obviously, to go to a team that I really liked. And at the end of the day, Golden State was one of those teams. And so I’m blessed to (have) the opportunity to learn from coach (Steve) Kerr, being able to play with players like Steph Curry and Chris Paul, who was just recently acquired. And I’m going to make the most out of the opportunity. I know that they got a lot they can teach me and I just can’t wait to get started.”
Why did Pacers pass on TJD? 'It has got to be a mutual interest.'
Insider: Despite Jackson-Davis' slide, it's hard to imagine better fit than Golden State
Trayce Jackson-Davis is a Golden State Warrior. #iubb pic.twitter.com/MzfZ3tvQi4
— Tyler Tachman (@Tyler_T15) June 23, 2023
After his hometown Indiana Pacers passed on him with the No. 47 pick, Jackson-Davis tweeted, "Y'all will regret it. I promise you." The Pacers passed on him a second time with the No. 55 pick, too.
Y’all will regret it… I promise you.
— TJD (@TrayceJackson) June 23, 2023
His Indiana Hoosiers teammate Xavier Johnson added, "Just now... y'all are in for a wake up call in TJD, and it starts in Vegas." Vegas being where unheralded rookies look to make a splash in the NBA Summer League.
"I play with a chip on my shoulder and that’s what I’ve always done," Jackson-Davis said. "I don’t think of this situation as anything different. And so I’m gonna put a chip on my shoulder. I’m going to play to the best of my ability and I think my athleticism and my IQ on the basketball court is going to make me a valuable piece.”
Just know… y’all are in for a wake up call in TJD, and it starts in Vegas.
— Xavier Johnson “X” (@XavierJ0hnson) June 23, 2023
In his four college seasons, Jackson-Davis went on to become among the best players in IU program history. It didn’t come without hurdles, though.
It’s a fluid offense that will be happy to have a versatile big who can pass both from the post and elsewhere on the floor. He has to expand his offensive game but that was always a given. A lot of potential fit. #iubb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) June 23, 2023
His first season ended abruptly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following his second season, Archie Miller, the coach that recruited him to IU, was fired. Mike Woodson was hired and Jackson-Davis opted to stick around. During Woodson’s first season at the helm, Jackson-Davis helped lead the program to its first NCAA tournament since 2016. After testing draft waters, he returned for his fourth and final season at IU.
NBA draft: Indiana's Jalen Hood-Schifino goes No. 17 to L.A. Lakers
More: Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jalen Hood-Schifino draft picks show Mike Woodson can get you to NBA
As the Hoosiers fought through multiple valleys during the season to earn a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, Jackson-Davis climbed the record books. He currently stands as the program’s all-time leader in career rebounds and career blocks, plus is third in career points at IU.
Before Jackson-Davis was selected on Thursday, his former teammate at IU, Jalen Hood-Schifino, had his name called with the No. 17 pick by the L.A. Lakers. Hood-Schifino was last season's Big Ten Freshman of the Year, a campaign that included a 35-point masterpiece at Purdue.
Mike Dunleavy said the plan is to have Trayce Jackson-Davis on the 15-man roster. “We’re not overly loaded in the frontcourt.” Said he had TJD much higher on their board. pic.twitter.com/RwZva3BvOv
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 23, 2023
Jackson-Davis and Hood-Schifino played major parts in IU’s success last season. Though IU lost in the round of 32 to eventual Final Four participant Miami (Fla.), that duo helped the program gain some momentum. Thursday is the first time since 2017 that IU had two players selected in the same NBA draft. Back in 2017, it was OG Anunoby and Thomas Bryant. On Thursday, it was Jackson-Davis and Hood-Schifino.
In the immediate aftermath of the draft, Jackson-Davis and the Warriors seem like a great fit.
"Just the way that they play, obviously they’re a team with a bunch of shooters and I think that’s where I excel — playing (in) one on one coverage, so I got to make the most out of my opportunity," Jackson-Davis said. "Obviously, I pass the ball at a very high level coming in. Hopefully, backing up Kevon Looney and just earning my minutes and doing what I do best. And so I just got to make the most of my opportunity there, learn from a hall-of-fame coach and so that’s what I’m gonna do.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: NBA draft 2023: IU star Trayce Jackson-Davis heading to Golden State
