Trayce Jackson-Davis, right, will try to continue his playing career in the NBA after starring at Center Grove and Indiana University.
Submitted photo | Indiana University Athletics
Trayce Jackson-Davis stayed at Indiana University for his junior and senior seasons at least in part because of his belief that coach Mike Woodson could get him better prepared for the next level.
He’ll now get his chance to find out.
The former Center Grove and IU star was chosen by the Golden State Warriors early Friday morning with the 57th overall pick in the NBA draft. The Warriors acquired the pick from the Washington Wizards, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Jackson-Davis blossomed during his time at Center Grove, growing from a limited post prospect into one of the nation’s top high school players. He graduated as the Trojans’ all-time scoring leader with 1,802 points — second in history among all Johnson County boys — and was named Indiana Mr. Basketball and a McDonald’s All-American as a senior in 2019.
He then ventured down the road to Bloomington, where he finishes his four-year run as the Hoosiers’ all-time leader in rebounds (1,143) and blocked shots (270) and third on the school’s career scoring list (2,258). He was a consensus first team All-American as a senior and is one of just five players in Big Ten history to reach both 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
Such accolades might have made him a lottery pick a generation ago, but in the current pace-and-space era, Jackson-Davis was viewed by scouts as a bit of a tweener. At 6-foot-8, he’s not tall enough to be a true center — but he’s also not viewed as quick enough to defend on the perimeter. A lack of outside shooting prowess (just three collegiate 3-point attempts and zero makes) also hurt his draft stock.
Still, Jackson-Davis has enough translatable attributes at both ends of the floor to perhaps crack an NBA rotation if he lands in the right situation. The Warriors may well offer exactly that, with Jackson-Davis potentially moving into a defense-and-rebounding role similar to that played by center Kevon Looney in recent years.
Jackson-Davis is expected to play with Golden State’s summer league team next month in Las Vegas.
