3 Things the Golden State Warriors Must Do After the All-Star Break

2. Lean more into Trayce Jackson-Davis

The Warriors' recent 8-2 burst before the All-Star break emanated from a number of factors. Two of the primary reasons -- the emergence of Jonathan Kuminga into a number two scoring option, and the rise of Brandin Podziemski into a starting-level player.

After years of struggling to place faith in young players, Steve Kerr and Golden State are now benefiting from trusting in the likes of Kuminga and Podziemski. Now it's time to apply the same philosophy to Trayce Jackson-Davis who, rather ironically, is two years older than both Kuminga and Podziemski.

Jackson-Davis has impressed during inconsistent minutes this season, but has been a victim of Kerr's choice to go with Draymond Green as a small-ball center amid a frontcourt of he, Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins.

That's pushed Kevon Looney back to the bench, giving Kerr and the Warriors the option of the veteran big man, stretch five Dario Saric, and Jackson-Davis. The latter has subsequently been squeezed out, having not played more than 10 minutes in any of the last nine games including two DNP's in that stretch.

Jackson-Davis' impact shouldn't be denied, with the 24-year-old providing a two-way vertical threat Golden State doesn't otherwise have. While per 36 numbers should be taken with a grain of salt, Jackson-Davis is averaging 18 points (nearly 70% shooting), 11.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.2 blocks -- great numbers by any standard.

His influence on winning is also undeniable -- out of anyone on the team who's played more than half the games, Jackson-Davis ranks second behind fellow rookie Podziemski in net rating. Not only can he help right now, but at 10th in the Western Conference the Warriors are still in a position where they should be operating with one eye on the future.