Trayce Jackson-Davis has earned a bigger role within the Golden State Warriors rotation. Steve Kerr committed to finding more playing time for the rookie big man following his double-double performance against the Boston Celtics. Jackson-Davis managed to record three blocks during his team’s win, with two of them being on All-NBA wing Jaylen Brown.
Speaking to the media following the Warriors game, Kerr was asked about Jackson-Davis’ minutes. The veteran head coach labeled the rookie as the “player of the game” before sharing how “he’s going to play” and that he will be in the rotation moving forward.
“He was tremendous,” Kerr said. “He was the player of the game. There were several huge plays. Obviously, Steph’s shot being number one. Trayce’s block on Jaylen Brown. Tryace was the one who shifted everything. Plus 25 in his minutes. Second great game in a row. You can see the impact he makes, so he’s gonna play. He’s gonna be in the lineup.”
Jackson-Davis ended the contest with 10 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 locks, shooting 71.4% from the field. He has been impressive when given the opportunity to take to the court and has now parlayed those performances into additional minutes moving forward.
"He's going to play. He's going to be in the lineup."
Kerr calls TJD the player of the game and plans to increase his minutes going forward 📈 pic.twitter.com/pomgncaJsX
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 20, 2023
Interestingly, Jackson-Davis is the second rookie to earn a bigger role in the Warriors rotation this season. Brandin Podziemski also made use of the playing time he was given and managed to carve out a starting role for himself.
Golden State has now won three straight games, and their younger talent has been leading, providing the energy and spark the roster had been missing for much of the season. It will be interesting to see how the team fares when they face the Washington Wizards on Friday (Dec. 22.)
