First Look At Warriors Rookies: Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis

NBA Summer League begins next week, and with it, we’ll have our first look at the two rookies the Warriors brought into the fold from the recent NBA Draft: Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis.

At the bottom line, there’s a lot to be excited about, but plenty to be skeptical about as well. With TJD, there are a lot less questions as his stock can only rise after falling all the way to the 57th pick in the draft, but Podz will be under more scrutiny given his draft position and the other players who were drafted after him, namely Cam Whitmore and Kris Murray.

Regardless, these are two rookies who were scouted as players who can make an impact in a limited role immediately upon making it to the NBA. Here’s how they can do that.

Brandin Podziemski
At 6’5 in shoes with a wingspan slightly above his height and weighing in at 205 pounds, Podziemski doesn’t have the profile of the modern NBA shooting guard from a physical standpoint. Despite a 39 inch max vertical, scouts have noticed (and the film corroborates that) he doesn’t play overly athletic, and stays mostly under the rim. He played last season in the West Coast Conference, and while it’s one of the better mid-major conferences in Division 1 basketball as its home to powerhouses Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s, it’s still a mid-major and competition can be of a concern.

But despite being less than impressive from the physical standpoint, Podz’s skillset seems to more than make up for those shortcomings. He has a great shot and nailed 44% of his triples on good volume at Santa Clara, mostly on stationary catch-and-shoots. He’s also been heralded as an impressive combo guard: While his shooting lends well to scoring the rock, he’s got excellent vision and feel for the game with the ability to make difficult passes look easy. Podziemski has a great handle and deep bag already with some giving him credit for his “Steph-like craftiness”, and him being left-handed will be a boon at the NBA level as it has for others.

Podz is notably also an excellent rebounder for a guard, grabbing over 8 and a half per contest last season. This can be attributed to his work ethic, hustle, and overall willingness to play physical, something which will be important for him if he’s not going to be the most athletic guy on the court against NBA-level defenders.

A big reason the Warriors seemed to like this guy was because of how he plays. During Summer League media, he named Manu Ginobili as his favorite player growing up, and noted that he watched a lot of European basketball when learning how to hoop as a kid. For Golden State, that signals glove-like fit, as they run an offense inspired in parts by more conventional EuroLeague tactics in regards to movement and multi-layered actions. Podziemski’s ability to process those actions and how the defense reacts to them will be key to his potency at the next level: Taking on a Ginobili-esque role is probably the best way for him to find that success early on.

The biggest questions with Brandin Podziemski are on the defensive end and his efficacy as an off-ball player. While athleticism tends to be a big question with players who play more European styles of basketball, it’s especially so for Podz: He doesn’t have much of the look of an NBA-level athlete, and despite some good measurements in that regard at the combine, there’s the possibility that the speed of NBA guys will be problematic for him to stay in front of. In regards to his off-ball movement, his transfer from Illinois to Santa Clara saw his numbers take a massive leap, but that leap was because the ball was in his hands more. If he’s not the lead guard (a likely possibility given the addition of Chris Paul), then there’s some development to be done with him.

Overall, Podziemski has the skillset the Warriors are looking for in a role player, and finding those kinds of guys in the draft will be a key to success under the new collective bargaining agreement and the financial restraints it puts on teams who are willing to spend on their home-grown draftees to win. Now, it’s just a matter of how he pans out.

Trayce Jackson-Davis
Coming in at 6’9 with a 7-foot wingspan and a strong 235 pounds, Trayce Jackson-Davis falling to the end of the draft is symbolic about what most NBA teams want from modern bigs: Guys who can play inside on defense and outside on offense, shot blockers with good shooting strokes.

But the Warriors aren’t most NBA teams.

While the “run, gun, have fun” style of hoops is something Golden State took to a championship-winning level before almost anyone else had that kind of success with it, shooting bigs have never been something that they’ve relied heavily on. Frontcourt spacing is important of course, but for the Warriors, a center who is locked in defensively and can move the ball and set strong screens offensively is more important than shooting at the 5.

TJD fits that mold. His senior season at Indiana showed a highly-skilled big on both ends, boasting a set of post and face-up midrange scoring moves while complementing that with elite-level processing as a playmaking hub out of the post. The guy’s an elite athlete who uses his athleticism and 36 inch max vertical in the right ways, physically dominating opponents at the collegiate level while also managing to out-work them. His intensity and outstanding screening capability has drawn him comparisons to Draymond Green, but his ability to play above-the-rim is a nice additive to that, as is his offensive rebounding (2.8 boards per game on that end).

While he isn’t a shooter off-rip (did not attempt more than 2 or 3 threes the entirety of his college career), his mechanics are fluid and there’s some obvious possibility of improvement, and improvement that can come very quickly. He moves off-ball well, lending well to his skill as a major lob threat and has the mobility and handle to get past opposing bigs who go out to the perimeter with him. For him to have that chance, however, he’ll have to address his biggest weakness, which is his lack of ability to space the floor. This opens up plenty of questions about his fit alongside slashers like Jonathan Kuminga, who should see the majority of the bench scoring load now that Jordan Poole is gone.

On the defensive end, scouts have lauded Jackson-Davis as a “menace”: He’s everywhere, erasing shots at the rim with good timing and positioning to the tune of an absurd 2.9 blocks per game, and he stays out of foul trouble while doing so. He’s shown that he’s laterally quick enough to move out to the perimeter as needed, but given his shot-blocking prowess, the Warriors would probably be best to use him in drop coverage.

A lot of scouts harp on his age more than anything: TJD is 23 entering the league, something that likely contributed to him falling so far. What a majority of scouts seem to fail to understand, however, is that multi-year college players are necessary to a team’s success. Every team needs role players, trying to get a team full of high-usage stars rarely pans out well unless one or more are willing to sacrifice. Jackson-Davis has been praised by teammates and coaches alike for his incredible work ethic, and in a lot of capacities, it’s much better to have someone who is willing to outwork the whole room than someone who’s just a pure natural of a player. In an advanced system like they run in Golden State, a mature big who knows what role he’s best in will thrive.

Trayce Jackson-Davis might end up being the steal of the draft. His only noticeable weakness is his inability to shoot and the fact that he’s undersized, but his athleticism, playmaking excellence, defensive capabilities, and ability to score in the post over almost anyone bring too many positives to the table to ignore. He has a good chance of contributing from day 1, and his summer league performance should show that he’s ready to go.

(Photo credit: Eric Risberg / Associated Press)