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Golden State Warriors star has lost weight and worked on ‘ability to explode at the rim’, says Festus Ezeli
Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images

Golden State Warriors fans should expect one star to be different from the 2024-25 NBA season.

Following an unstable offseason, the Golden State Warriors have seemingly managed to build a solid roster ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season.

While it’s only the preseason, the new-look Warriors have looked solid. A key reason behind this is the arrival of Al Horford.

Horford is expected to be the starting center for the Dubs, but at his age, it’s obvious that the former Boston Celtics star can no longer play heavy minutes.

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

Festus Ezeli says Trayce-Jackson Davis will be ‘crucial’ with Al Horford

Over the last two seasons, Trayce-Jackson Davis has slowly developed into a solid player for the Warriors. In fact, Davis started in 37 games for the Warriors during the 2024-25 season.

One might expect his role to be reduced with Horford’s arrival. However, Festus Ezeli claims the Warriors have the exact opposite plan in place.

“Trayce-Jackson Davis, his importance is going to be crucial this season. Al Horford is not supposed to play every game. You need a big guy in there,” Ezeli said on Dubs Talk.

So far, Davis has averaged 7.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game in his career while shooting 64.2% from the field.

But Ezeli expects to see a huge improvement from Davis in the upcoming season. Why? He explained next.

Trayce-Jackson Davis has transformed by losing weight this summer

The 6’9″ forward/center was listed at 245 lbs ahead of the 2025-26 season. However, Ezeli revealed that Davis has shed some weight during the offseason.

“I talked to Trayce, he’s lost some weight this season, he’s been working on his conditioning, his ability to explode, getting to the rim.

“That’s going to be crucial for the Warriors, talking about his inside presence,” Ezeli stated.

The Warriors mostly rely on their perimeter shooters to handle scoring, but Davis’ improvement will help head coach Steve Kerr add another layer to his offensive schemes.

This article first appeared on NBA Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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