Trayce Jackson-Davis Prospect Watch: The Most Polished Post Player in this Draft

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trayce jackson davis putting down a dunk
Photo via: IU Athletics

The San Antonio Spurs “lost” the coin flip to the Houston Rockets and will officially be considered the third-worst team in the league this season. Do not despair as the odds to get a top-2 pick are still great and there are a ton of good player options in the second round. One of those prospects is Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis.

The 6-foot-9, 245-pound senior is one of the most polished post players in this draft, if not the most. Despite defenses zeroing in on him all year, TJD put up some great numbers and was named the Karl Malone Award winner this season as the best power forward in college. He could see some playing time immediately as a small ball center and would be worth a second-round pick. Here are his numbers from the season.

  • 20.9 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 2.9 BPG, 4.0 APG
  • 58.1 FG%, 69.5 FT%
  • 34.2 PER, 121.9 ORtg, 94.1 DRtg

Trayce Jackson-Davis Breakdown

Jackson-Davis is one of the best scorers around the rim in this draft and despite defenses doubling him, tripling him, and doing everything in their power to stop him from scoring, he still did it. And he did it mostly out of the post as he does not have much of a midrange game and does not shoot threes. He took guys off the drive, has a couple of go-to dribble moves, and no one can stop him one-on-one in the post.

Not only is TJD highly skilled in the paint, but he gives great effort and has a never-ending motor. That’s what has helped him grab all those rebounds and average 20-10 in his last college season. When he is getting double and triple-teamed, he is excellent at finding open teammates for good shots. He doesn’t hold the ball too long and is pretty decisive in what he wants to do.

The biggest weakness in Jackson-Davis’s game is his lack of versatility in his shot selection. He really doesn’t shoot much outside of the paint, even with the dribble-driving ability. He will be fairly limited to playing as a small ball center or playing alongside a more three-happy five-man. His rim protection is superb and he is excellent as a weak-side defender. He moves his feet well in the pick-and-roll too. This should give him some nice value on defense as well.

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