With Draymond Green picking up his fifth foul early in the third-quarter of Game 4 at Chase Center on Monday night, Steve Kerr had a decision to make on how to keep the Golden State Warriors afloat for a significant period without their defensive star.
Even with Green’s foul trouble, few would have expected Kerr to turn to Trayce Jackson-Davis for pivotal second-half minutes in a potentially series-defining Game 4. Yet that’s just what Kerr did, with Jackson-Davis entering and playing nearly six third-quarter minutes as the Warriors tried to find an answer for Rockets All-Star center Alperun Sengun.
Warriors fans were left stunned by the introduction of Trayce Jackson-Davis in the third-quarter of Game 4
The second-year big man began the season as Golden State’s starting center, and continued to be so for 37 of the team’s first 46 games. However, a mixture of his own poor form, and the emergence of rookie center Quinten Post, saw Jackson-Davis lose his starting spot and eventually fall out of the rotation altogether.
Jackson-Davis has played more than five minutes in a game only twice since January 31. They come in a blowout 148-106 win over the San Antonio Spurs, and a 133-95 obliteration of the Phoenix Suns, both of which allowed the 25-year-old to play considerable garbage time minutes in the fourth-quarter.
It came as little surprise that 25-year-old struggled to make an impact in the third-quarter, with many Warrior fans left shocked at his entrance to the game over veteran big man and 3x NBA champion Kevon Looney.
The TJD mins are god awful, I’d rather you just go w/ Looney and that’s saying a lot.
https://twitter.com/nikotaughtyou/status/1917069579446104228
TJD over Looney in a must win playoff game is insane
https://twitter.com/GoIdenState/status/1917069303779889232
Jackson-Davis failed to record a single point, rebound, assist, steal or block in his stint on the floor. He was affected by opposing big man Steven Adams on a contested dunk as his only shot attempt, while his two fouls came in the space of a second as he sent Sengun to the line, then failed to secure the defensive rebound on the second free-throw and subsequently hacked Adams.
Is Jackson-Davis to blame for his underwhelming minutes? Absolutely not. Ask any player to go out and play in such a high-stakes game after practically no opportunity in recent months, and even the best will struggle. Add in the fact he’s a second-year player with little experience being asked to guard an All-Star, and it’s a recipe for disaster.
Golden State only lost the Jackson-Davis minutes by three, but Sengun had built momentum entering the fourth with 11 third-quarter points. Fortunately the Warriors closed the game on a 17-10 run, making the Jackson-Davis decision a non-fatal mistake as the hosts won 109-106 and took a decisive 3-1 series lead.
In fairness to Kerr, he’s out-coached Ime Udoka throughout the series with some smart moves, including his hack-a-Adams strategy late in the fourth that immedietly saw the Kiwi big man pulled from the game.
Yet even Kerr himself would surely regret the Jackson-Davis move. Even if Looney has struggled to make an impact in this series, his reputation, experience and considerable more playing time in recent months suggests he should have been trusted in Green’s absence.
