SAN FRANCISCO – After taking a moment to ensure he would say what he was thinking, Steve Kerr showered lofty praise upon a rookie who was glued to the bench only a few days ago.
In the wake of the Warriors' 129-118 roasting of the Washington Wizards on Friday night, the coach mentioned Trayce Jackson-Davis and Andrew Bogut – in the same breath.
“My first couple years, we had Andrew Bogut and we ran a lot of our offense through him at the top of the key,” Kerr said. “He was a master of dribble-handoffs and diving to the rim. That’s pretty high praise.
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He’s got a long way to go, Trayce does, to become Andrew Bogut. But it’s a similar threat. Trayce is also a very good passer, like Bogues was, but just being able to run those dribble-handoffs and dives. That’s the guy that I think of.”
Jackson Davis completed his third consecutive impressive performance with a second-straight double-double, 10 points and 15 rebounds. He added three assists and a block, finishing plus-10 over 25 minutes.
Told about his coach’s comments, Jackson-Davis enjoyed the compliment but also understood Kerr’s point of view.
“He’s a little taller than me,” Jackson-Davis said. “We’ve got some similar attributes. He was a really, really good passer. Like a brilliant passer. That’s something I want to expand on, the passing, just knowing where guys want to be and where to give them the ball.
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“I’m learning. It’s my rookie season, so I just want to get better and grind.”
TJD joins Rookie of the Year candidates Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs) as the only rookies with back-to-back double-doubles this season.
Bogut was a former No. 1 overall pick who came to the Warriors as a veteran in 2013. He won a championship ring and was part of the 73-win Warriors team of 2015-16.
TJD is a No. 57 overall pick who at times looks like a lottery pick.