Trayce Jackson-Davis opens up on Team USA Select experience, how Warriors will use him in 2024-25 (Exclusive)
In just over a year, Trayce Jackson-Davis transformed his identity in ways both big and small.
The big? After the Warriors selected Jackson-Davis at No. 57 in last year’s NBA Draft, Jackson-Davis made USA Basketball’s Select team and fell only one point shy of landing on the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team.
The small? After collecting multiple fouls in his first matchup with Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis, Jackson Davis seemed more equipped to challenge the U.S. Olympian during USA Basketball scrimmages.
Will this growth help the Warriors navigate through some turbulence? Though the Warriors will still lean on Stephen Curry and Draymond Green as they have through four NBA title runs, Klay Thompson’s departure serves as another reminder the Warriors’ core and pocketbooks are not as indestructible as they once were.
Not with Thompson struggling to show the same two-way dominance before suffering injuries to his left ACL (2019) and right Achilles (2020). Not with the Warriors facing limited roster-building tools if they maintained high spending.
And yet, Jackson-Davis’ stellar play as a rim protector partly explains why the Warriors want to invest in their young prospects. After also competing in Summer League both with the California Classic and in Las Vegas, Jackson-Davis will have a bigger role in his second NBA season.
“I’m very comfortable,” Jackson-Davis told Sportskeeda. “By the end of the year, I was starting. But I’ll do whatever Coach needs me to do. I’ll try to help get the job done.
Jackson-Davis spoke to Sportskeeda about playing for the Select Team, training with second-year teammate Brandin Podziemski, as well as interesting stories about Curry, Thompson and Green. He also relived his dunk against Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama and block on Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown.
Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed
Trayce Jackson-Davis interview (Exclusive)
What were the highlights for you with being on the U.S. Select Team?
Jackson-Davis: “The biggest thing I took away was the competition and playing against the Olympic guys. Our squad was right there at the end. I thought that was really cool. That gives you a lot of confidence. The highlights for me was going up against [Joel] Embiid and AD [Anthony Davis]. It’s kind of a full-circle moment, especially with AD. The first time I played him was in preseason last year, and I fouled him three or four times on four straight possessions. That was a full circle moment. And then playing against Steph was great. Playing against LeBron and seeing what he’s doing at his age is nuts. Then being with some of the younger guys was cool. Having Cooper Flagg there, he was good, too. And having Podz, absolutely.”
How did your matchup with AD in the scrimmage go?
Jackson-Davis: “It was a lot different. I’m a lot more comfortable with trying to bang with him. You’re trying to get them ready for the Olympic competition. When Coach [Steve Kerr] came into our huddle and we were in our team film, he said, ‘We want you to take it to these guys. Play as physical as possible. And play FIBA rules.’ I thought we did a good job.”
How did you do try that without hurting them?
Jackson-Davis: “Sometimes when you see guys go up for dunks, you get out the way. You know what it is. It’s kind of like our practices in Golden State. If you see Steph on a fast break, you can go and block it. But at the same time, you think, ‘I better not do that.”
How do you compare going up against Steph with Team USA than in a Warriors practice?
Jackson-Davis: “We knew were going to blitz him. We blitzed him on all of his screens to get the ball out of his hands. But the other players love playing with him because they get the ball on the short-roll and they get easy looks and easy dunks.”
How did you see Podz get after it? I caught the end of one scrimmage when he caught an elbow from Embiid.
Jackson-Davis: (laughs) “BP is a fighter, and is not someone that is going to back down from anyone. He’s not going to back down from any competition. That’s what I love about him. He’s always 100% full go all the time. That’s what he said that he didn’t care [when Embiid elbowed him]. Embiid was like, ‘Why is the little guard trying to come in and get the rebound?’ I was like, ‘That’s just how he is, man.’ He’s a competitor. He went back in. That’s another thing about him. He’s very resilient and very tough. There are not a lot of things that will keep him out of the game.
What do you think that whole experience will do for you next season?
Jackson-Davis: “I think the biggest thing for me is it gives me confidence going into next season with being able to compete against guys like that and taking away some of the stuff that they do with watching them practice. Then, I add that into my own work.”
What are examples of that?
Jackson-Davis: “The way they play and the way they pass. Everything is crisp. They’re always going 100% out there. They’re playing physically. When you watch Steph play, it’s the reads that he makes and when he gets the ball in the pocket.”
Given all the offseason changes, what is your comfort level with having a bigger role next season?
Jackson-Davis: “I’m very comfortable. By the end of the year, I was starting. But I’ll do whatever Coach needs me to do. I’ll try to help get the job done. I went from playing in the G League to playing a little bit and to kind of getting out of the rotation. Then by the end of the year, I was starting and we were winning a lot. Whatever I can do to help winning is my job and my goal.”
Has Steve mentioned much about what your role will look like?
Jackson-Davis: “At the end of last season at our exit meeting, he talked about some of the things he wanted me to do. He said he wanted me to be a force. He wanted me to attack the glass like I did last year. But he wants even more of that. He wants me to be more offensive minded and continue to make plays out of the dunker [spot], almost like the way [Domantas] Sabonis plays. That’s similar to what he wants me to be.”
With that feedback, what has your offseason looked like beyond Select Team to prepare for that?
Jackson-Davis: “I think the biggest thing for me is that I’m getting stronger. I finished at a pretty high clip, but I’m trying to be even more aggressive on offense. I’m going at people, and I’m going through people. But the weight room has been huge for me this summer. I’ve been in the weight room a lot, especially with our strength and performance staff. We’ve been there since May 6. So being able to play in Summer League has been good to get away for a bit. But I’m being in the weight room, being better conditioned and growing into the offense and making sure I’m making the right plays and making the right reads. A typical day in the weight room would be about 15-20 minutes with treatment and an hour-and-a-hour lift. Then an hour-and-half on the court. It’s four or five hours every day.”
I already read you’ve often trained with Podz. What do you usually do together?
Jackson-Davis: “He’s in the same boat as me. We practice with each other. We do skill work. We go against coaches. We go against some of the guys. Sometimes, we scrimmage a little bit. I think it’s been solid. It’s been good for our relationship. As we build that off the court, we often eat together and play video games.”
What are the video game sessions like?
Jackson-Davis: “Right now, we play ‘Call of Duty.’ We play together and are on the same team. We play pretty well. We’re solid. We like to slay out and go after people (laughs).”
What chemistry do you think you fostered with Draymond last season?
Jackson-Davis: “Draymond gave me so much confidence this year, especially with being able to play alongside him. He helped me make reads and helped me with when to go. On offense, he can run an offense and is always looking for me cutting and being in the dunker and getting me easy looks. That’s just like how Steph was with Klay and CP. Just being able to be out there with him on the floor, his IQ is unprecedented. I’m looking forward to that next year.”
What have you drawn from other big guys that have played with Draymond, including David West, Zaza [Pachulia] and [Kevon] Looney, and how they carved their lane?
Jackson-Davis: “Absolutely. Loon has been a huge force for me. From the very first day when I got here, he has been in my corner and has helped me with different reads and different coverages and how to set screens for certain guys. Zaza is the same way. Whenever he’s around, he’ll talk to me on what I need to work on and stuff that I need to do that will help me get better. There are definitively big guys that have talked to me about certain stuff.”
What will you miss about playing with Klay?
Jackson-Davis: “I’ll miss a lot about Klay. We had a good rapport on the court and even off the court. He’s a great dude. Whenever we were on the court, we had a great synergy. Off the pick-and-roll, he was either going to get a wide-open shot or I was going to get a dunk. At the end of the day, I wish him nothing but the best. I know he’ll do well and succeed with the Mavs. Nothing but the best until he plays us.”
You said in your exit meeting that he gave you your first nickname with ‘Baby T’ and then ‘Trayce Jr.’ What’s the story behind that?
Jackson-Davis: “His brother’s name is also Trayce. So Klay said, ‘I can’t have two Trayces in my life.’ So he nicknamed me ‘Baby T.’ Then when he said, ‘Once you get your first double-double, we’ll change your nickname, and it was Trayce Jr. Now he just calls me ‘TJ.’”
Which nickname do you like the best?
Jackson-Davis: “I like TJ. That’s solid. That’s really kind of my nickname. That’s my nickname that I get called at home.”
What is your favorite part of the Steph Curry teammate experience?
Jackson-Davis: “Steph makes the game so much easier for me. Just in playing in that short roll, it’s either 1-on-2 or 3-on-3 and you just make the right play. It’s either that, or he’s going to get an open shot. Nine times out of 10, he’s going to make it. It’s easy playing the game with him. He’s a great leader, and he’s a great competitor. What he’s doing right now at his age is ridiculous.”
What are the most notable incidents that capture how Steph is as a leader?
Jackson-Davis: “There’s two that I can think of right now. When we were playing in Indiana, Steph was 8-for-8 to start the game. It was just ridiculous to watch him take over. When we played against Boston, he misses a 3 and I tip it out to CP [Chris Paul]. And CP launches it over. Steph catches it at the top of his head and then does a rainbow 3. Then he does his ‘night night’ celebration. It’s crazy to watch. When he gets the ball at the end of the game, there’s nothing you can do.’
With that, what was it like dealing with all the dynamics last season? You’re trying to carve your path as a rookie. Steph is still Steph. Draymond is in and out with his suspensions. Klay is adjusting to a different role.
Jackson-Davis: “I think it was great for me. It just showed what the league truly is. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. There are a lot of moving parts and a lot of different things that can happen. I think experiencing that as a rookie and having those suspensions and having the contract years with certain guys and having guys in and out with trades, it’s only going to help me in the long run. Now I’m going to be ready for anything and all grown up.”
Given your pops had a successful NBA career, in what ways did he help you during your rookie season?
Jackson-Davis: “He just said, ‘Take it slowly. Take it one year, one game, one step at a time. Do that and don’t get ahead of yourself. Don’t think about the future, and all that it has to offer. If you stay in the gym and work hard, you’ll be straight. All of a sudden, you’re 10 years in.”
What was your ‘Welcome to the NBA moment?’
Jackson-Davis: “My biggest ‘Welcome to the NBA moment’ on the court was probably playing against Luka [Doncic]. He had the stepback 3s. He was doing his thing. It was a mess.”
On the flip side, do you think your best highlight is your dunk on Wemby?
Jackson-Davis: “The Wemby dunk is definitely up there. But I think the Jaylen Brown block was probably my favorite highlight.”
Why’s that?
Jackson-Davis: “The Wemby dunk was kind of at the end of the game. The game was already out of reach. But the JB block was in a close game. It was in overtime. That probably sparked us. Then we went on a run and wound up winning it.”
What was the key to making both plays?
Jackson-Davis: “With the JB block, I was on the left side and I was guarding Al Horford. I was closer to him. But Steph waved me in a little bit to get closer into the key so I would be able to follow the help over. I saw JB take off, and then it was instinct from there. I saw him raise up with the left [hand], and I caught it perfectly on the side of my hand.
With the Wemby dunk, I was dribbling over to the right key. Then I saw Wemby shoot the gap. But he shot it to my right hand. I’m left handed, so I did a quick spin and got the ball to my left. At that point, I thought, ‘I might as well try it.’ It was nuts. He’s blocked some dudes.”
Overall, you’ve gotten a lot of praise for your rim protection. What have you honed in on to impress your coaches and teammates so far with that?
Jackson-Davis: “I just think it’s about knowing where you are on the floor. Draymond and I had a talk. Well, he talked to the whole team. But he told me that sometimes earlier in the year that I was one or two steps away from where you could be. He said, ‘If you take those extra steps over, you have less possibility of someone scoring. He said, ‘You’re more athletic than me already. So imagine if you’re those two steps over and you’re already over there waiting.’ It’s a game of inches. If you can get those two steps over and be in an even better position, it will make the game so much easier for you.”
I also read you’re trying to be more vocal. What things are you trying to speak out on more?
Jackson-Davis: “That comes out of being comfortable. Last year, it was my rookie season and I was learning everything. Now, I kind of know what I’m doing. So being vocal on the floor is something that I need to do. Especially in the summer league, I’ll be doing that a lot just so I can get used to leading a team and helping guys out. It’s about pointing out rotations, telling guys where to go and being in the back. Stuff of that nature. When you talk on the floor, especially telling guys what to do and telling guys where to be, it really helps then. The guards know that they have help. If you have their back, they’ll have yours.”
Given Klay’s departure and the various roster changes, where do you see the Warriors fitting in a crowded Western Conference?
Jackson-Davis: “Obviously we lost some key pieces with Klay and CP. But I still feel like we have a really strong group. We have one of the best players ever. We have one of the best defenders ever. We got some young guys that are hungry to get on the floor. We won 46 games, and that was with a Draymond suspension. When Draymond is on the court, we are a lot better. If we can stay healthy and have all of our guys there, at minimum we should be a 50-win team easily.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.