The free agency addition of Al Horford was always going to have a trickle down effect on a number of Golden State Warriors players, with young center Trayce Jackson-Davis perhaps the early loser from the 39-year-old's arrival.
After finishing last season as Golden State's starting center in the second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jackson-Davis was a complete DNP in Steve Kerr's rotation for the season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
Trayce Jackson-Davis delivered gut punch on opening night
The Warriors started small with Draymond Green at the five alongside Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga in the frontcourt, leaving Horford to play 20 minutes off the bench in his debut with the franchise.
Both of Golden State's young centers felt the impact of that move. Not only was Jackson-Davis completely stapled to the bench in what was an 11-man rotation, but second-year big Quinten Post was also limited to less than nine minutes and failed to take a single field-goal attempt in the 119-109 victory.
Tuesday's benching continues a rough period for Jackson-Davis after an impressive rookie year that placed him as the team's starting center entering last season. The former 52nd overall pick would started 38 of the team's first 46 games last season, before not only losing that role but finding himself as the third-string center behind Post and veteran big man Kevon Looney.
Looney's role with the Warriors also became inconsistent in his final two years with the Warriors, but that's unlikely to be the case for Horford who is slated to play 20 minutes every game barring health concerns. The 5x All-Star had five points, five rebounds and an assist in his Golden State debut, with stronger performances to come once he acclimatizes to his new team.
Where that leaves Jackson-Davis remains to be seen, but there's no doubt that his future at the franchise (and in the NBA in general) could be in jeapordy if he's unable to crack the rotation consistently in his third year.
That puts enormous pressure on the 25-year-old to perform when Horford is out resting, starting on Friday when the Warriors face the Portland Trail Blazers in the second night of a back-to-back. Those nights could be the only time Jackson-Davis gets real opportunity to impress and potentially push his way back above Post in the rotation.
Post hasn't been overly impressive himself in preseason and in his limited minutes on opening night, but clearly Kerr prefers to have a stretch five on the floor rather than Jackson-Davis' offensive limitations.