SAN FRANCISCO – Although he stands at 6-foot-9 and tips the scales at a healthy 248 pounds, no Warriors player enjoys turning a basketball game into a sprint like Trayce Jackson-Davis.
He tries to beat opposing centers downcourt on fastbreaks, is always slamming the offensive glass after teammates’ shots and perpetually dives hard to the rim as a roller within the team’s complicated offensive sets.
In the process, the third-year center has become a dependable option off the bench for Kerr, who asserted that limiting Jackson-Davis’ minutes is actually the key to unlocking his potential.
“I like playing him in short bursts,” Kerr said after Sunday’s practice. “He’s at his best when he’s really sprinting the floor.”
That is exactly what Jackson-Davis has done over the past seven games, when he re-entered the lineup after a week of inaction. He has played in every game since Dec. 4 after seeing time in only 12 of their first 22 this season.
The 25-year-old big man is averaging 13.9 minutes per game, making 70.6% of his field goals, grabbing 4.4 rebounds a night while blocking a shot per game.
When Draymond Green was ejected in the second quarter of the Warriors’ 119-116 victory over the Suns, Jackson-Davis grabbed seven rebounds – three on the offensive end – when pressed into action and playing 17 minutes.
On a team that starts the 35-year-old Green and the ground-bound Quinten Post at the five, Jackson-Davis’ above-the-rim style gives the Warriors’ attack a different dimension.
The former Indiana Hoosier has had over 100 dunks in each of his first two NBA seasons, and has 15 jams in just 19 games this season.
His prolific number of dunks can be explained by the more expanded role he played earlier in his career.
After being the starter for 37 of the Warriors’ first 46 games last season, Jackson-Davis has been relegated to spot minutes since. Two minutes here, three minutes there during blowouts.
But while Jackson-Davis is receiving more regular playing time, Kerr believed that having him participate in short bursts is something that benefits his center’s game.
“We’re asking guys to crash every play, sprint the floor, run to the corners,” Kerr said. “Especially for big guys, it’s tough to play a stretch of eight straight minutes if you’re doing all of that.”
Jackson-Davis has taken an even-keeled approach to every role he has played over his three years in the Bay Area, and this new rotation is no exception.
“If I’m playing well, then (Kerr) usually extends that,” Jackson-Davis said. “So with me, that’s all I can control. I’m just going to continue to run the floor, try to block shots, play with energy and do stuff of that nature.”
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