Golden State Warriors’ rookie excites in highly-anticipated debut

Thursday saw the highly anticipated debut of Trayce Jackson-Davis, with the 57th overall pick pulling on a Golden State Warriors’ uniform for the first time in his team’s Summer League outing against the Houston Rockets.

As far as first impressions go, it was an exciting first-up performance from Jackson-Davis who flashed his versatile offensive skillset after missing the Warriors’ opening five Summer League games due to a hamstring injury.

Although the result didn’t go the Golden State Warriors’ way, Thursday’s game against the Houston Rockets almost played second-fiddle to the focus on rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis.

The 23-year-old began the game with a beautiful pass to Gui Santos for Golden State’s first points, with Jackson-Davis having darted from the perimeter to receive the ball, before drawing two defenders and finding the cutting Brazilian.

Playing in shorts stints initially as he ramps up from injury, the remainder of the game was mostly about Jackson-Davis’ scoring prowess. He powerfully finished a number of two-hand slams at the rim, finishing the game with 14 points and seven rebounds on 6-for-9 shooting.

There were signs of rust sure — he blew a couple of layups in the opening minutes you’d expect him to make — but otherwise Jackson-Davis was a major positive in the Warriors’ disappointing 118-101 loss.

While any sort of jump shooting facet may be a while away, Jackson-Davis did prove himself equally capable in the pick-and-roll or as a finisher in the dunkers spot. His lone assist to Santos also displayed an intriguing element as a passer, something he displayed in his last collegiate season having averaged four assists per game.

Having played four years with the Indiana Hoosiers, Jackson-Davis comes into the Warrior system as a more mature prospect. While a regular role may be unlikely, there’s certainly a fascinating Chris Paul-Jackson-Davis pick-and-roll combination that could be utilized at stages. He and fellow rookie Brandin Podziemski showed signs of a productive connection, with the latter finding the former nicely in the paint on multiple occasions.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway was the sort of presence Jackson-Davis plays with on the interior. He certainly plays at, if not bigger than his 6’9″ frame. Any thought of him as a power-forward needs to be shelved, particularly in a Steve-Kerr led system.

The Warriors were certainly better in the minutes Jackson-Davis was on the floor, offering optimism for fans around his potential. Golden State conclude their Summer League campaign against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.