Golden State Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis has to face a harsh reality heading into the season. Given the current state of the Warriors' roster, he is not in the rotation and unlikely to find his way into it anytime soon - as the team's first preseason game made clear.
Jackson-Davis was a late-round steal for the Warriors in 2023, the penultimate pick of the second round at pick No. 57. A college star at Indiana, "TJD" stepped onto a good Warriors team and carved out a role early on. As a rookie, he played in 68 games, including 16 starts, and was hyper-efficient as a scorer and finisher. His rebounding and defensive positioning combined to make it look like the Dubs had found a long-term solution at the position.
Last season was a bit rockier for Jackson-Davis as the team tried different options at center to try and spark an inconsistent team. His scoring dropped off and he didn't block nearly as many shots. Yet he did play in 62 games, including 37 starts, and there was hope that he could prove himself as a needed player and have a rotation spot heading into the season as the backup 5.
Trayce Jackson-Davis took a gut punch against the Lakers
That dream appears to be dead, as the Warriors' preseason opener against the Los Angeles Lakers made crystal clear. Despite playing against a true seven-footer in Deandre Ayton, head coach Steve Kerr elected to start small, with Draymond Green as the smallball 5 -- where he has thrived over the course of his career, of course. Given the wear and tear of the position, especially the way Green plays it with such intensity and physicality, it seemed that Kerr might want to start him at the 4 and only go to the 5 in specific spots.
Early in the first quarter, new addition Al Horford subbed in at center -- perhaps he will be the regular starter, perhaps a high-impact bench player, but he looked incredible and like he hasn't lost any steps despite turning 39 years old. He will play a prominent role for the team.
There is still room in the rotation for another center behind Horford, and Jackson-Davis offers a change of pace to the style of Horford. Yet when it was time for Horford to take a seat, who replaced him? Not TJD, but rather second-year stretch-5 Quenten Post.
Last season it was obvious that the Warriors needed floor spacing, something Jackson-Davis does not provide. It appears that despite adding Al Horford, Kerr wants to flood the rotation with shooting bigs to open up space for the likes of Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga. And that means no Jackson-Davis.
The forward rotation is largely made up of shaky shooters between Green, Butler and Kuminga. There are lineups that can be built that could still thrive with a more traditional center -- Stephen Curry, Buddy Hield, Moses Moody and Butler comes to mind -- but it is obvious that Jackson-Davis is down the totem pole.
He didn't see game action until the second half, when he finally subbed in for Post midway through the third quarter long after the veterans called it a night. He played 13 minutes altogether, finishing a team-worst -12 and racking up four points, four rebounds and two assists. It was a fine outing, but nothing special enough to change the coaching staff's minds.
Will Jackson-Davis get another chance later this season? Perhaps. To start, however, he has to come to grips with the cold reality that he is not in the rotation for the Warriors, and the pathway to such a role is nonexistent.
It's a gut punch for TJD and his fans right out of the gates.
No light at the end of the tunnel