Despite running into one of the biggest and best double-big combinations in the league, the Toronto Raptors seemingly have no interest in giving playoff minutes to former Golden State Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis.
The Raptors have quickly realized Jackson-Davis isn't an NBA rotation player come the postseason, something the Warriors already knew considering they were willing to move on the third-year center in exchange for just a second-round pick at February's trade deadline.
Raptors quickly coming to Trayce Jackson-Davis realization
Toronto bounced back to claim a Game 3 win on Thursday to bring the series back to 2-1, but at no point has head coach Darko Rajaković looked in Jackson-Davis' direction for legitimate rotation minutes.
The 26-year-old played the final two minutes of Game 1 in garbage time as the Raptors suffered a double-digit defeat, making a pair of free-throws while committing a turnover. He recorded one rebound in the final 90 seconds of Thursday's win, but they remain Jackson-Davis' only playing time through three games, and it's difficult to see him generating minutes in Game 4 as Toronto looks to tie the series.
The contrasting nature of both rosters only further signals how the Raptors feel about Jackson-Davis and his viability (or lack thereof) as a rotation player. Coming up against the notable pair of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, Toronto are preferring to go to small-ball options in Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Murray-Boyles as their backup big men rather than Jackson-Davis.
None of this is overly surprising considering Jackson-Davis' lack of minutes after making a startling debut with the Raptors where he posted a double-double in less than 16 minutes against the Indiana Pacers on February 8.
The former Warrior has played more than 10 minutes just once since, and has even spent time with Toronto's G League affiliate late in the season in an attempt to gain valuable on-court reps and confidence.
Trayce Jackson-Davis started games for Warriors in last year's playoffs
Looking back in hindsight from this current situation, it's quite remarkable that Jackson-Davis actually started the final three games of Golden State's second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves last year.
That had come on the back of a 15-point, six-rebound performance in Game 2, but it also coincided with the last time Jackson-Davis really had a meaningful stretch of opportunity with the Warriors.
The franchise clearly entered this season realizing Jackson-Davis wasn't the answer going forward, culminating in a pair of DNPs to open the campaign. Al Horford's early sciatic injury did mean Jackson-Davis made 36 appearances for the Warriors before the trade, but he averaged only 11.4 minutes which was well down from his first two years in the league.
Having averaged just 5.0 minutes with the Raptors and now without any playoff opportunity, there must be real doubt on Jackson-Davis' future considering there's a team option on the fourth and final year of his contract.
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