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NEW YORK – In the history of Indiana Hoosiers basketball, there has been one player who has scored 2,000 points in his career and grabbed 1,000 rebounds. This is one of the most historic, decorated hoops programs in the NCAA, yet there has been only one player to achieve those numbers.
That guy is Trayce Jackson-Davis, who wrapped his four years in Bloomington with 2,258 points and 1,143 rebounds, averaging 17.9 point and 9.1 rebounds for the Hoosiers. Despite that resume, Jackson-Davis fell all the way to No. 57 in Thursday’s NBA draft, where the Wizards drafted him and shipped him to Golden State as part of the Chris Paul trade.
Jackson-Davis, the son of former 16-year NBA veteran (and onetime Warrior) Dale Davis, was not happy about where he landed. He sent out a seven-word tweet that summed up his displeasure with the 29 teams that passed on him:
“Y’all will regret it … I promise you.”
Jackson-Davis Is a Polished Big Man
Jackson-Davis was a pretty good bonus prize on Thursday for the Warriors, who clearly are valuing ready-to-play collegians as they fill out the roster. The team drafted Brandin Podziemski, a big guard who averaged 19.9 points, shot 43.8% from the 3-point line and grabbed 8.8 rebounds at Santa Clara last year. Podziemski was an older sophomore, at 20 years old.
Jackson-Davis is 23 years old. The team also signed Javan Johnson from DePaul, a rare six-year college player who transferred twice, first from Troy to Iowa State, then to the Blue Demons. He averaged 14.2 points last season, making 41.2% of his 3s—and he is already 24 years old.
It could be a longshot that TJD and Johnson get significant playing time for Golden State, but they will at least be given a chance, and with their lengthy collegiate experience, they are more NBA-ready than their younger counterparts.
Jackson-Davis’ Drop Was a Surprise
Certainly, among NBA-types, the fact that Jackson-Davis nearly dropped out of the draft altogether was a surprise. He had worked out for about a dozen teams, many of whom were looking for polished players who could contribute in the short term, like Golden State.
“There were some questions about his whole disposition at Indiana, his attitude and things like that,” one NBA scout told Heavy Sports. “And I think in his four years, there was some question about whether he could learn to step out and shoot a little bit from distance, which you have to be able to do in the NBA today. But he never took that step.
“That’s probably why he slipped a bit. But look, once you get past the Top 20, Top 25, anyone can slip. You can slip out of the draft, it happens. But it is on him now to do something with that. He is still going to get a fair chance.”
While Jackson-Davis is likely to start the season in the G League, he could, indeed, get a crack at minutes for the Warriors next year. Golden State has a frontcourt mix of Kevon Looney and, assuming he re-signs, Draymond Green. Jonathan Kuminga will play some power forward and Andrew Wiggins often sees time at the 4 in small-ball lineups.
But the Warriors will need depth in the frontcourt. Along the line, Jackson-Davis could provide some.
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