TJD became the fifth-ever player in Toronto's franchise history to record a double-double in a debut.
Newly acquired Trayce Jackson-Davis and the Toronto Raptors won 122-104 Sunday night against the reigning Eastern Conference Champions, the Indiana Pacers. In their third win in the last four games, the former Golden State Warriors big man recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds with a block and a steal in just 16 minutes, the fewest minutes played in a game with a double-double in the NBA this season (via StatMuse).
Coming off the bench, the former No. 57 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft achieved his first double-double of the season after seeing his minutes drop as time progressed in Golden State. Had Jackson-Davis arrived in Toronto earlier, his play time would have seen a significant bump compared to with the Warriors, since Raptors starting center Jakob Poeltl has missed the last 24 games in a row with a lower back strain.
Toronto Raptors forward/center Trayce Jackson-Davis (32) | © Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Heading into the matchup with the Pacers in Scotiabank Arena, Poeltl was finally listed as questionable for the first time since the injury in late December. While he ultimately sat due to return to play reconditioning, he is also listed as questionable for Toronto’s final game before the All-Star Break against the Detroit Pistons. Poeltl is expected to retain his role as the starting center, crowding the frontcourt minutes for Jackson-Davis, Collin Murray-Boyles, and Sandro Mamukelashvili.
When talking to the media postgame, head coach Darko Rajakovic had an interesting answer when asked about his thoughts on Jackson-Davis’ Raptors debut.
“Nothing,” said Rajakovic. “I’m going to tell you the same thing when he goes with 3 rebounds, and then 3 points, and you’re not going to ask me about him … I don’t want to base (my opinion) on one big/good game, or bad game, to pass any judgment. I want to see a chunk of 10-15 games, and see how he grows with us.”
His answer was puzzling to begin with, however it’s interesting to see the Serbian head coach not praise his player, as he’s been accustomed to doing. Of course it’s unrealistic to get high hopes from a guy who recorded stats he hadn’t all season, but it still feels worthwhile to give credit where it’s due, rather than immediately mention him putting up poor stats in future games.
The former Indiana Hoosier received praise from general manager Bobby Webster shortly after the trade was completed on the day of the NBA deadline. He mentioned that the 6-foot-9, 245-pound forward/center was “one of 50 or 60 players that you’re always keeping tabs on in the NBA” and that he had previously reached out to Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. about a potential trade, to which he was denied.
While it may not be anticipated for Jackson-Davis to continue the double-double trend, especially when Poeltl is back in the lineup, his presence will prove useful to a thin frontcourt unit. He allows for the Raptors to run bigger lineups with Murray-Boyles joining Barnes, Ingram, and even Poeltl to prevent paint scoring and improve rebounding. The immediate test could have come as soon as tomorrow against the top team in the East; however, there will be suspensions to come for Pistons big men Isaiah Stewart and possibly Jalen Duren as well, after an on-court brawl against the Charlotte Hornets.