Warriors’ Steve Kerr offers assessment of Trayce Jackson-Davis’ recent play
In an effort to prepare Trayce Jackson-Davis for the postseason, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has worked to increase his workload down the stretch.
He believes the rookie has impressed in that span.
Jackson-Davis played sporadically to start the season but eventually earned a place in the rotation. The team has been pleased with his scoring down low on offense and his ability to rebound and protect the paint on the other end of the floor.
The 57th pick averaged 12.8 minutes per game through games played in February but is up to 23.8 minutes in 13 games in March. He is averaging 10.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 blocks on 74.7% shooting from the field over that span.
Kerr is happy to see his production of late.
He has been great. Trayce has gotten even better with the extended minutes. I think he has extended his capability to play longer stretches at an effective rate. Every night in this league, as a young player, is so important because you’re learning about trends, personnel (and) game-planning. He is really a smart, young guy and he picks things up quickly. You only have to tell him something once. It has been really fun to watch Trayce grow.
Jackson-Davis logged a season-high 33 minutes on Wednesday in a 101-93 win over the Orlando Magic. He produced eight rebounds, 14 rebounds, three assists and one block to help the Warriors, who were without Jonathan Kuminga (knee) and Draymond Green (ejection).
The 24-year-old scored in double figures in six straight games in March and had at least two blocks in five consecutive games, the longest such streak by a Warriors rookie since Ekpe Udoh in March 2011. He leads the team in blocks this season (59).
Jackson-Davis has earned praise from the team throughout the season, given his ability to play mistake-free and affect games on both ends of the court. He appears ready to contribute at a high level to the Warriors’ run toward the playoffs.
