Trayce Jackson-Davis has garnered a lot of attention and fans amongst draft circles over the past year after many labeled him as just a college player. He isn’t going to end up being the collegiate star in the league but he could end up being a connective big that makes a big impact in a smaller role. He mainly scores inside of the paint and around the rim but his level of finesse and physicality should be enough to warrant keeping him on the floor. He has a large variety of post moves and is very patient when scoring around the rim. He relies on his soft touch and likes to go to skillful plays like floaters and hook shots. He attacks mismatches ferociously and is great at creating one on one matchups in the post where he can get an easy basket. His athleticism allows him to explode in the open court and his bulk allows him to push defenders around which makes him for his smaller size. Opponents have to respect him as a lob threat that can be deadly in the pick-and-roll as both a finisher and passer. Trayce has a great passing vision for his position and will initiate a lot of Indiana’s set plays despite strong point guard play. He will occasionally bring the ball up the floor and attack the basket while looking for an opportunity to pass the ball up. He’s very good at reading when to hand the ball off and how to find the open man. He’s not just a short roll playmaker, he has the ability to make the cross-court pass to a shooter on the perimeter. We have recently seen how having a center that can move the ball around, in Jokic and the Nuggets, can really bring an offense to another level. I don’t think that Trayce is some kind of offensive hub but I do believe that he could be used as a tissue between other offensive weapons. He doesn’t shoot the ball at all which will limit how much he can really be utilized but he is enough of a fluid player and distributor to carve out some kind of defensive attention from spots where he can’t really score. In college, he has had the defensive awareness and vertical ability to be a shot blocker on defense but I’m a little wary of how that translates to the league. He leans on knowing what his assignment is going to do next and rarely falls for tricky moves like pump fakes but with the jump in talent in the NBA I’m not so sure how effective he’s going to be. I think that the larger and more skilled players are going to take advantage of his limitations and really target him on defense. He only stands at around 6’8” so some of the larger seven-footers might really look to switch onto him. He isn’t the strongest perimeter defender either, so I have a hard time believing he will keep up with the pace of certain forwards and bigs. He does do things like switch screens very well so he could be a guy that gets covered up by a strong defensive scheme. He knows when to come in as a weak side-shot blocker and definitely has that mix of athleticism and timing to be an interior threat. I do think that he is an intelligent defender but I’m afraid that the step up might be too much for him to master defense like how he did in college. I don’t think that he’s as safe of a bet as some make him out to be because of defensive concerns and the fact that he won’t provide any real shooting but he should be a glue guy player that can hold your team together on both ends of the floor while bringing a bit of his own impact.

Jahlil Okaford’s post footwork and offensive package with Brandon Clarke’s defense. Older prospect, but one of the best college players last year. Super effective and physical. Does everything well for a big except shoot perimeter shots. Might have issues at the next level due to pace of play.

Really solid as a dunker, athletic and finishes with certainty Big, burly frame, hard to guard for someone frail like Taylor Hendricks Quite small and unathletic for a center Active screener Crafty in the post, fancy footwork with hand-to-hand switchability Reliable lob and putback threat Great interior defender, keeps body square to opponent, hands up, uses body, makes tough for offensive finishers Pick n’ roll threat Sound interior defense mechanics, stays with man whilst keeping him in front By no means a spacing big, however not the worst of forms Finishes through any source of contact Produced an insane 20-10 stat line at Indiana for four years, don’t see that translating to the NBA by any means with a much more modern big league, though impressive Lack positional height hurts him on defense, makes him more of a big 4 Not only an active, but wide screener, really crafted out Jalen Hood-Schifino’s success both as a playmaker and scorer Solid foul attractor, gets into the defense, embraces contact Causes fouls himself, can accidentally use too many elbows in the post Can really get up, incredible vertical that made him a dominating block threat. His reactivity is key, though. Needs to use that vertical in 1v1 situations effectively by reacting quickly to the shot. Such an efficient post player, hooks and up-and-unders are masterpieces if done by Jackson-Davis. Monster Not necessarily that modern, floor spacing bigs the NBA constantly looks for, needs to land on specific teams to succeed at a role standpoint Does a lot of the “dirty” work not most bigs (even in the NBA) are willing to do, real physical player that can provide a different type of energy to the game Usually a vertical defender, lets the offense lose balance and control Not necessarily the most impressive body, but he uses it so well on both sides of the ball, could easily be an Anthony Davis physically with how impactful he is as a big The most surprising part of his game - point guard ability in a center’s frame. Literally rebounds and sprints out in transition with a fluid handle. Keeps his head up, playmakes for runners and shooters open around the court. So impressive, especially coming from this hard-nosed, bashy center Really shocks me how active he is at all times, always blocking out, always contesting, always screening, always looking to get open. Unlimited stamina, clearly willing to work. Has some solid sprint speed down the court, accelerates quickly, as well. See him as a Sacramento King. Contributes to that tough-minded, defensive mold there in California’s capital. Aware off-ball defender who gets in the right spots. Really values keep away from the rim Really like his playmaking eye in the half court, throws lasers across the hardwood, finds open shooters and cutters around him Wide frame really helps keep his guy in front of him. Real brick wall as a defender Active hands defensively Has some tremendous stretches of block-block-block, such an ideal rim protecting prospect Senior, meaning he’s a bit of an older prospect - take it as you want it

He is definitely the best post player in this class as of right now. In fact, if we were drafting to see who you'd want the most if you wanted to win a college national championship this year specifically, Jackson Davis would likely be your pick. Super soft hands finishing shots, can finish from what feels like any which angle. Criminally efficient for his volume. Jackson Davis is remotely unguardable at the collegiate level. He's also a very solid post playmaker, when he's the got the ball inside and he recieves heavy coverage, he is more than capable of finding the open man. He works hard on boards. He's even an excellent defender, he blocks his fair amount of blocks, especially for only being 6'9. However, my only doubt for a guy like Jackson Davis is, can he still have the same impact as a role player. In the college career of Jackson Davis, he has dominated with the ball in hand, getting post touches what feels like every time down the court. How would he fare as an opportunistic role player. Because the trouble is that as great as he is, Jackson Davis is by no means a primary option at the next level, so he needs to find ways to impact that game more in other ways. Which I do believe he should be able to do, but that's the main reason I have some doubts.

Tier 5. One of the best athletes and rim protectors in college but undersized as a center who doesn't stretch the floor. 6'9" with a good wingspan and jumps out of the gym. Amazing post game, unclear if that will transfer to the NBA. Strong passer out of the post, and has good touch and a decent FT%. Could maybe extend his range to 3 but never took one in his college career. Shades of: WCJ plus rim protection, Sabonis with less passing chops