2023 NBA Draft: 5 Prospects that can be surprising steals

Trayce Jackson-Davis, Big, Indiana

Trayce Jackson-Davis is a 6-foot-9, 245-pound center who was one of the best players in the country last season, averaging roughly 21 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks per game on 60.8% true shooting.

His production on both ends of the floor was impressive as he displayed high-level playmaking chops and elite rim protection. His assist rate of 24.8% and assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.59 are both hyper-elite marks for a center, and his 9% block rate is not too shabby for an undersized center.

Overall, I think he has the potential to be a good defender moving forward. He may be short for a big man, but he is a great athlete, has a fantastic 7-foot-1 wingspan, and was really productive as a defender during his time at Indiana. He may not be an elite defender in the NBA, but I don’t think this will be a weakness for him.

He’s also a tremendous rebounder who dominates the glass on both ends of the floor. Last season, only four players 6-foot-9 or shorter who played at high-major programs recorded an offensive rebound rate of 10% and a defensive rebound rate of 20%. TJD was one of them.

There are some issues that keep me from absolutely falling in love with Jackson-Davis as a prospect, though. For starters, he was not a great rim finisher last season, shooting just 63.3% at the rim, which is a low mark for a big man. He’s also not much of a perimeter shooter, as he attempted just three shots from behind the arc his entire collegiate career. These two problems could keep him from being an efficient scorer at the next level.

His advanced age may concern some people as being an old prospect is a signal that a player may not be that talented, or else the NBA would’ve already been interested in them. I’m not too worried about this, though, because Jackson-Davis had a box plus-minus of at least eight every season he played at Indiana.

Also, the reason why he hasn’t been drafted yet is simply that he has a weird skillset as an undersized big man who isn’t a great rim finisher. However, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been consistently dominant in college because he has, and the numbers back that up.

Trayce Jackson-Davis is a seasoned veteran who played at a very high level for all four of his seasons playing college basketball. He has a variety of valuable traits that could make him a very good player on both ends of the floor. Since he isn’t a great rim finisher as a short center, I view him as more of a role player or a solid starter rather than a star. However, his improvements as a playmaker give him some upside as a potential on-ball creator.

Don’t be surprised if he massively outperforms his draft slot.