Once upon a time, the dominant upperclassman big man was a hot commodity on draft night. Tim Duncan, David Robinson and Christian Lattner are just a few of the names that fit the bill. After conquering the likes of college basketball for years, they were celebrated on draft night with early selections.
However, with the NBA’s recent shift to a more spaced out, perimeter-centric game, these prospects have gradually become devalued. Volume interior creation is now reserved for only the league’s best, and playing defense requires more movement than ever. Consequently, teams typically opt to solidify their depth with big men who specialize in scoring from the perimeter or playing versatile defense.
Take Luka Garza, for example. After a legendary career at Iowa, the 2021 National Player Of The Year was seen as a fringe prospect in the 2022 NBA Draft, staying on the board until pick No. 52. This year, Oscar Tshiebwe, the 2022 National Player Of The Year, went undrafted.
Trayce Jackson-Davis never quite captured his own Naismith award, but that doesn’t make his career at Indiana any less impressive. He managed to finish third all-time in scoring, first in rebounds, and first in blocks in the school’s history. The 6-foot-9 big man captured All-Big Ten honors all four years of his college career, twice was on the all-defense squad, and was a finalist for National Player Of The Year last season. Even with such an illustrious career in Bloomington, the Hoosier great fell to the Golden State Warriors at pick No. 57 in this June’s draft.
Still, Jackson-Davis signed a four-year guaranteed contract with Golden State, which should give him the opportunity to carve out a role, especially on a roster thin on size. The Warriors' only other center on their roster is Kevon Looney. Draymond Green can always step in for the Dubs’ famous “death lineups”, and newcomer Dario Saric’s shooting ability could make him an intriguing play at the five. While they all have their own valuable skills, each lacks high-end athleticism and dynamic finishing around the rim. Luckily for Golden State, those are Jackson-Davis’ calling cards.
They won’t lead him to score 20 points on a nightly basis anymore, but Jackson-Davis’ interior scoring skills can still prove crucial on a Warriors team that ranked 23rd in field goals made within five feet last season, especially with the addition of Chris Paul. Along with Stephen Curry, this legendary point guard duo will create oodles of scoring opportunities for rollers in the paint, and nobody in the Bay Area is better at converting those than the guy who just led all high major players in points scored at the rim. Golden State’s famed short-rolls after screens will look a lot better with Jackson-Davis finishing the play as opposed to Looney or Green.
That’s just the start of what Jackson-Davis can bring to the table, though. His scoring threat will add a new dimension to a lot of sets the Dubs run, for they run a lot of plays through their big man. Defensively, he’s the best above-the-rim presence on the Warriors’ roster while still far from immobile. Additionally, he’s a tenacious rebounder on both ends of the floor. In his senior season, he also exhibited good passing feel - an encouraging development given that Golden State’s offensive system demands rapid reactions as they flow from one signature action to another.
Once Jackson-Davis gets acclimated to the NBA game, unlike dominant upperclassman bigs in recent years, the late second-round pick could truly make a positive impact on the Warriors’ quest for the fifth ring of their dynasty.
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