Toronto Raptors draft: 3 prospects not in NCAA Tournament to watch
By Mike Luciano
Raptors draft target No. 3: Trayce Jackson-Davis, PF/C, Indiana
Jackson-Davis wasn’t able to lead deposed coach Archie Miller and the Hoosiers to the tournament, but he was rock-solid in the paint. Jackson-Davis averaged 19.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game this season, all the while shooting 52% from the floor.
Despite going up against a murderer’s row of big men in the Big Ten, Jackson-Davis held his own, all the while showing some refinement with regards to his post finishing and interior defense that are uncommon for a sophomore in college.
Jackson-Davis is a very limited offensive player, and a 6-9 player with barely any sort of jump shot or face-up game might not be attractive to most teams. However, if Nurse gives him the same shooting instructions he gave Chris Boucher, TJD might become a contributor for Toronto.
How would Trayce Jackson-Davis help the Toronto Raptors?
The Raptors don’t need a game-changing offensive big man, that’s why they have Pascal Siakam. All they need on the inside is someone that can finish off dunks and jump hooks while making rebounding a tad more fearsome than the feckless collection of centers they have in 2020-21 have been able to do.
Jackson-Davis, the son of former Indiana Pacers star Dale Davis, will need to develop a more varied offensive game if he wants to have a long career in this league, but a coaching staff that helped make Siakam one of the game’s best should have no issues making him a more feared offensive player.