Despite a rollercoaster of emotions — and waiting longer than expected to hear his name called — former Indiana basketball star Trayce Jackson-Davis is set up in a terrific position.
After getting picked 57th overall in last Thursday’s NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, Jackson-Davis was a lot of the post-draft discussion. How did he fall so low? Why did he slip? Why did teams pass on him? They were all legit questions.
But, in the end, Jackson-Davis not only received a guaranteed roster spot from the Warriors, he has the opportunity to learn from a winning organization.
That doesn’t stop the discussion, however. ESPN staff writer Jeff Borzello polled college coaches to get reactions from the draft and Jackson-Davis was graded as the ‘best second-round value’ pick.
“When polling coaches on the best second-round picks and the biggest steals and surprises in the latter part of the draft, one name kept popping up: Trayce Jackson-Davis,” Borzello wrote.
The consensus? How did he fall so low.
“He was a guy you could’ve made an argument to take in the first [round]. Second-to-last pick of the draft is a total steal,” one coach told Borzello.
“I was surprised TJD dropped that low,” another coach added. ” … He can shoot the ball — he just chose not to shoot the ball for whatever reason. He’ll be a guy who can make jump shots in the NBA. He’s a very good passer for his size. He’s a good enough athlete to play in the NBA. ”
Jackson-Davis came into the NBA Draft with a projected spot anywhere from a small first-round potential to early-second round.
This season he averaged 20.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.9 blocks per game. He was a consensus First-Team All-American and unanimous First-Team All-Big Ten selection.
He finished his Indiana basketball career as the program’s all-time leader in rebounds (1,143) and blocked shots (270) and was third in scoring (2,258) and double-doubles (50).
“We think there is tremendous value there,” Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy said when drafting Trayce Jackson-Davis with the No. 57 pick. “Another guy we had pretty high on our board. Little surprised he made it that far.
“He’s a guy that been a four-year college player, proven player, skilled player, can do a lot of things, defend, rebound, finish, and his passing I thought really improved the last year or two in college.”
Jackson-Davis gets his NBA Summer League started on July 3 on ESPN2 in the California Classic Summer League. He will also take part in the Vegas Summer League.
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