PORTLAND — The Warriors are thin enough in the front court. But for the next three weeks, at least, that frontcourt will have to stand on its own without its foundation in Draymond Green.
Now, the center rotation especially is a floating mishmash of undefined variables; Kevon Looney has regressed and is sometimes unplayable against mobile, athletic teams. Dario Saric is a floor-spacing asset on offense, but not often the solution on defense.
Even with a thin paint presence, rookie center Trayce Jackson-Davis is often buried on the bench, mostly because of a few iffy stints here and there. But the Warriors need him to the front of the bench pronto.
Jackson-Davis saw an extended run against Portland when Saric ran into foul trouble early in the first half and gave Golden State a look on both ends they haven’t had consistently since the Zaza Pachulia and JaVale McGee days. The kind of game the coach Steve Kerr could lean in on while the rotation experimentation light is on.
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“Before every game, we say let’s see if we can get Trayce out there,” Kerr said. “He’s impressive. You see how athletic he is.”
Jackson-Davis flew high for a team-leading eight rebounds, boxing out and getting over big-money Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton. He had two steals and a block — the Warriors, notably, rank 29th in the league in blocks.
The rookie also the Warriors all kinds of scoring options in the paint. He scored eight of his 14 points off the pick-and-roll with Steph Curry, Chris Paul and Andrew Wiggins finding him in open space in the paint for an easy bucket. A handful came on entry passes or cuts where Jackson-Davis used his length to score over Portland’s iffy defense. And when Portland sent extra help to Jackson-Davis off the roll, the rookie made quick decisions to pass the ball out to the open man — one time in the fourth quarter resulting in an open corner 3 for Wiggins.
“He did amazing,” Klay Thompson said. “Deandre Ayton is a tough matchup. He’s big as well. Trayce played so good tonight, finishing the rim, almost had a double-double, making plays off the pick-and-roll. Playing like a seasoned vet. And he’s a rookie, which is great for the Dubs. He’s looking like the steal of the draft.”
Kerr is already shuffling his deck to dig out of this 12-14 start. They’re 2-1 with a new starting five that hosts rookie Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga next to Curry, Thompson and Kevon Looney. Jackson-Davis is in the shuffle, but his card hasn’t been drawn much yet. He played 18 minutes and has played at least 15 minutes just six times this year.
A Warriors team in disarray has the space to let Jackson-Davis claim his spot.
