Why TJD thinks Warriors' small-ball lineup provides advantage

Why TJD Believes the Warriors Small-Ball Lineup Provides Advantage originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay AreaLAIE, Hawaii – Steph Curry has heard it for some time – along with Draymond Green, Kevon Looney and other Warriors as well as head coach Steve Kerr himself. As is usually the case in basketball circles, one sentiment remains consistent across all four divisions: The Warriors are too small. Center Trayce Jackson-Davis heard these criticisms last season as a rookie as well; yet neither he nor anyone else on his team seemed bothered by them at that time or now. “It is what it is,” Jackson-Davis stated during an exclusive “Dubs Talk” interview set to air Saturday night. “People can say anything they like about us; at the end of the day though I believe we led the league in rebounding last season. Small teams also benefit from playing quickly, something Coach Kerr emphasizes through transition. “He told us if we could improve both ends of the floor in terms of transition then it will make for an extraordinary team,” stated Jones. “Despite having Dario Saric as their tallest player last season and not being known for breaking glasses, the Warriors led all NBA teams with 46.7 per game rebound averages.” Kerr and his coaching staff emphasize getting out and running quickly while pushing pace to stay close defensively and gain ground offensively. Last season, the Warriors were among the worst teams in transition both offensively and defensively. Jackson-Davis provides the ideal frontcourt player to address these areas: He stands 6-foot-9 undersized big man who does not sprint but still moves well enough as Kerr envisions an ideal two-way player. As soon as Jackson-Davis began starting for his rookie season’s final month, their performance on defense improved drastically. Kerr hasn’t seen anyone like Jackson-Davis since JaVale McGee – yet both were much older when playing for the Warriors. As the second-to-last pick in 2023 NBA Draft, Jackson-Davis led all rookie Warriors blockers with 76 blocks for this past season; Festus Ezeli recorded that number during 2012-13 season as an eighteen-year old rookie player on San Antonio. Jackson-Davis earned 20 games with multiple blocked shots – becoming the first Warriors rookie since Ekpe Udoh achieved this mark during 2010-11 (24). Additionally, Jackson-Davis posted four double-doubles off the bench. After experiencing what the NBA game feels like first hand, Coach Kerr is encouraging Jackson-Davis to push harder on court and be even more aggressive than before. Jackson-Davis credits himself as just being more aggressive on offense, picking his spots when attacking, knowing when and how long to keep possession, making plays, attempting to take some of Steph Curry and Draymond’s load off while providing support from outside. At the end of the day, this approach to offense simply works better.” Apply that approach while playing through Steph and Brandon Podziemski who tend to possess most of the ball and handle it themselves; just picking spots where we should attack. “Jackson-Davis found an ideal setting in Las Vegas to showcase how aggressiveness could manifest both defensively and offensively.” Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo provided him with plenty of competition while competing with them as part of the USA Basketball Men’s Select Team; later pairing with Podziemski as go-to guys during summer league games was another valuable opportunity. Jackson-Davis gained much confidence from playing against Team USA, which he already brings into training camp in Hawaii. Beyond Stephen Curry, it remains uncertain who will emerge as the Warriors’ second leading scorer. On certain nights it could be Andrew Wiggins or Jonathan Kuminga; on others it might be someone like Podziemski. Kerr would not be surprised in the least if Jackson-Davis also has high scoring nights; unlike his social media peers who post videos showing off workout routines for likes, Jackson-Davis does not blatantly advertise them either! Jackson-Davis is typically quiet but eager to show his hard work with Kerr’s confidence as they continue working towards strengthening and speeding him up in training sessions at Warriors headquarters. Jackson-Davis believes in himself and knows they’re on their journey towards progress and takes each day as it comes. “Trying to build off of what happened last season,” Jackson-Davis noted, adding, “it’s full on now, so hopefully all my hard work pays off. Power comes when speed and force combine – that is exactly the equation Jackson-Davis plans on using after an impressive debut season with the Warriors. Download and subscribe to Dubs Talk Podcast today!”