The Golden State Warriors' attempts to fill out their center position have gotten a lot of attention over the past two seasons.
But with the acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis and the subsequent drama surrounding his health status and availability, this narrative has taken on an entirely new complexion. With Al Horford now set to miss time with a calf strain, they have very little margin for error.
In one sense, their trade of Trayce Jackson-Davis to the Toronto Raptors for a second-round pick at the trade deadline now looks worse in hindsight. Jackson-Davis could have seen impactful minutes for the Warriors at this juncture.
In another sense, the limited production they have already gotten out of Omer Yurtseven, who signed with Golden State on a 10-Day contract on March 15, has fully vindicated their decision. If they can get the same production out of a player who was out of the NBA for a full season, who wouldn't take the second-round pick?
Omer Yurtseven is steadily proving the Warriors' Trayce Jackson-Davis decision right
Over his two-and-a-half seasons with the Warriors, Jackson-Davis displayed a level of offensive dynamism that was highly exciting, especially when he first entered the league. But his lack of positional size and rebounding feel quickly limited his potential. By the time he left Golden State, he was averaging just 11.4 minutes per game and was logjammed behind Quinten Post and Al Horford.
When they acquired Porzingis, it made perfect sense to move on from Jackson-Davis. Retrieving any draft capital for him was a feat in and of itself, as it's likely he would have been released had a suitor not been found by the trade deadline.
There was a scary moment, however, where it looked like Jackson-Davis might make the Warriors look foolish by breaking out in Toronto. In his first game in a Raptors uniform, he secured his first double-double of the season, posting 10 points, 10 rebounds, and one assist while shooting 2-of-4 from the floor.
The Warriors received a healthy amount of criticism after that outing. Was Jackson-Davis simply the latest young player that Steve Kerr refused to grant an opportunity to?
But since that time, he's largely been confined to the G-League. Across the nine games he's played with Toronto at the NBA level, he's averaging just 1.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.4 assists on a diet of five minutes per game. Yurtseven, meanwhile, is averaging two points, two rebounds, and 0.3 assists in the three games he's played with Golden State.
Yurtseven is certainly not a part of the Warriors' long-term plans, but neither was Jackson-Davis. If they provide the same level of production, however, Golden State certainly came out ahead.
Perhaps that second-round pick can turn into a viable rotation player.