Golden State Warriors fans have been seeing a lot more of Trayce Jackson-Davis lately.
The rookie player has been averaging about 10.9 minutes per game in 2023-24 but over the last five matches, he has averaged 20.6 minutes.
Speaking on NBC Sports, Festus Ezeli spoke about why Jackson-Davis is getting so much time on the court.
Ezeli said that Jackson-Davis “can run the floor” and “protect the rim.”
But, more importantly, the young man is also a “playmaker” who can be trusted to make the right decisions with the ball.
Ezeli said that fans are “starting to see him develop as a player” and noted that he wouldn’t be getting so much time in games if Draymond Green was playing.
This last point is an important one: the loss of Green has opened the door for Jackson-Davis.
The numbers show that he was getting very little time during games when Green was playing but when the temperamental four-time champion was again suspended by the league, Jackson-Davis was able to step up.
That was when he really started to show what he was capable of.
This is great news for the 23-year-old rookie and it gives head coach Steve Kerr more options moving forward.
But it’s still not clear how much time Jackson-Davis will get in the weeks ahead when Green again returns to the Warriors.
Over the last five games, he has averaged 11 points and 8.8 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Green has been putting up 9.7 points and 5.5 rebounds during his 15 games of the season.
Does that mean that Kerr could take time away from Green and give it to Jackson-Davis?
Anything is possible, especially if it leads to some important Warriors wins.
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