Anyone who truly watched Jackson-Davis’ game develop knew this kind of thing was coming.
One of the biggest problems when analyzing draft prospects, in any sport, is overly emphasizing what a player can do over what they can.
This is particularly relevant when the “can” list is significantly longer than the “can’t” list. It’s missing the forest for the trees and can only hold one back from truly appreciating what a player brings to the table.
There’s a very simple solution to the issue: just don’t ask that player to do what they can’t or won’t do and stick to what they’re good at. It’s that simple.
When an NFL team drafts a tight end, they’re not going to have him outrun the defense. When an NBA organization drafts a guard, they’re not going to ask him to protect the rim.
There’s a lot of examples of this in sport, but the most relevant one for Indiana recently is Trayce Jackson-Davis. Former Center Grove Trojan and Indiana Hoosier, current Golden State Warrior.
Jackson-Davis finished the 2023-24 season as one of the most important rookies in the league to his team. He stepped in and stepped up protecting the rim on defense and catching lobs on offense.
The Warriors, a well-run organization, wanted Jackson-Davis from the jump and made the moves to get him. They saw a guy who could rebound the ball, handle it some, threaten the rim and protect it on the other end of the court. Someone who could help their roster.
What they didn’t see? Shooting from deep. Which is fine, the Warriors have the greatest 3-point shooter of all time on the roster and another top-10 one alongside him. He won’t be asked to take those shots, they will.
Jackson-Davis had the athleticism, offensive ability, defensive awareness and experience from college to make in impact in the association from day one. He’d spent the past two years working with an NBA coach in Bloomington, it’s not like the league would be all that new to him.
He only added more tools over time in Bloomington, becoming a better shot-blocker under Woodson’s watch, developing as a passer to pressure the defense from the perimeter and learning more about the game as a whole.
And it’s not like he’d become an absolute superstar or be expected to be that kind of guy. Those are few and far between. But outside of a 3-point shot, he had everything necessary to succeed in the modern NBA.
He’s succeeding. Only three players in NBA history have shot 65% or better from the field as a rookie with a minimum of 300 attempts. He’s one of them.
And anyone who watched him, really watched him, all that time could see this coming.