GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 30, 2024

Trayce Jackson-Davis

Media Conference

Q. Hey, Trayce, welcome back. Can you tell us a little bit about your summer, your first off-season as a professional athlete, the chance you had to go workout with Team USA. Can you tell us what you've been up to?

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: So I wouldn't really consider it an off-season. I had like three weeks off. Overall I was just here in the Bay, working with our strength and conditioning coaches, trying to get bigger, faster, stronger, on the court working out, stuff of that nature. Going to play with Team USA, getting a few scrimmages with those guys.

A lot of fun, learned a lot, and now I'm just ready to gear up for the season.

Q. Trayce, do you view your role this season similar to what you played last year, just maybe scaled up? Or are there different things you want to get done?

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: Yeah, I think it would be a similar role for next year. Just as you said, upskill. There's a few things I've worked on that I can add to my game, like handling the ball, taking the ball up the floor, putting the pressure on the defense that way, especially with Steph and B.P. and guys like that, and space and getting easy shots. Being a facilitator is another thing, and defensively continuing to grind that out and learn from Dray and Lou.

Q. What's the difference between coming in last year as a rookie trying to figure everything out as opposed to coming in now where you've got some experience under your belt and you're potentially competing for a starting position here?

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: I think the biggest thing for me is continuing just to take it day by day. Coming in last year, leaning on the vets a lot, I'm still going to continue to do that. Loon and Dray, they're going to continue to teach me, but I feel like this year you get to a point where you kind of know what's expected, you know what to expect.

So being able to go out there and just play the game, make reads. You kind of know what guys' tendencies are on the floor, so just playing basketball and not having to really think about other things.

Q. I'm curious, Steph just talked about being the hunters this year. What do you sense that the team's motivation is going into the year? You said you obviously had an early play-in exit. What's your motivation this year to get back to where this team has been the last decade and a half?

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: Yeah, obviously it's championship standards here. Early exit last year. Guys got time to rest. Guys got time off. Now we're hungry. I know a lot of guys have been here over the summer, a lot of the vets have been here over the summer. Everyone's hungry. Everyone's ready to get started.

Obviously we have a lot of people that are doubting us, and we've just got to continue to play together, not listen to the noise, and just play the way we want to play.

Q. Has the chip on your shoulder grown because you wanted to be on the rookie team? Has your personal chip grown?

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: I would say it's where it's always going to be. I always try to play with a chip on my shoulder to the highest standards that I can. I will continue to be there next year. I think the rookie team would have been a cool little bonus, perk just to say that I told you so, but at the end of the day, I'm trying to play in this league for 10 to 15 years and that's the main goal.

So just continuing to work, continuing to listen to my coaches, listen to my guys, and just play hard.

Q. Trayce, I know you couldn't get into a playoff series and get that kind of experience as a rookie, but you were able to get a game and probably one that the team would like to forget, albeit in Sacramento. Did you still feel like you got valuable learning experience for if if this team does find itself in a series this year?

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: Absolutely. Getting that experience playing at the end of the year, how close it was, how tight the race was the last ten games, having to win those games, kind of having that pressure instilled onto you, it was all great. Just continue to build from that knowing how close it is, how Coach always talks about the margins of victory and defeat and continue to play like that where every play counts.

Q. Just to follow up, a little bit later last week, Mike was up here saying they've got to be a top 5, 6, 7 defense, and I know that's a strength in your game as a rookie. What sort of responsibilities do you see for yourself on that side of the floor this year?

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: Yeah, the same as last year, trying to block shots, defensive rebound. I think that's something that we thrived on last year was rebounding. So we've got to continue to do that, especially being shorthanded and smaller. So rebounding is a huge key, and then continuing to trust each other.

Our defense is five guys on a string, so trusting the man to make the right read, or when he leaves, the guy covers for him. There's going to be huge on team defense, and I think Coach Stackhouse is going to help us a lot with that.

Q. I know you've only got a season with him, but what are you going to miss about having Klay around?

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: Klay, just his energy. Klay and me built a great energy, synergy on the court, and I'm going to miss that. I hope that he succeeds in Dallas. He's going to be himself, and I just hope he's happy honestly.

Q. How different does it feel coming into your second year as opposed to the wide-eyed rookie? Does it feel that much different?

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: I mean, it really doesn't feel like my rookie year ended? It really just feels I just continued to play, I guess, because I've been here the whole time.

It's great to see everyone, though, and great to be back, and I'm just ready to work again. There's nothing really that's changed. Maybe getting a little bit stronger in the weight room and just kind of the experience factor, I would say, is the biggest key.

Q. If I can ask a follow up, how much readier, if that's a word, how much does it feel like the team needs you and Brandin and the young guys to sort of be an integral part of this whole thing?

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: The young guys, I think all of us are hungry. All of us want to help extend Steph, Draymond, all those guys as long as we possibly can, take the load off of them. It's huge for us because those guys carried this organization for the last 10 years, and now having to step up and be that focal point, be helpful for them, it's huge. I think we all want to be a part of that.

Q. Trayce, in my conversations with Coach Stack, it seems like he really is zeroing in on the defensive end. What have your early conversations with him been like? Just being around him a little bit, what's that been like?

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: Just his teaching. He's really locked in. He's loud. He wants us to get out, get up, pressure the ball, stuff of that nature. I think our guys like that because I think our team feeds off of energy. So playing with energy on the defensive end of the floor, I think is going to lead to a lot of transition, a lot of run outs, and just high powered offense.

Q. How many threes do you plan to put up each game?

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: Three-pointers are something that I've worked on this off-season. Whether or not or how many I shoot really depends. Coach and I talked about it at the end of last season. He said that I want your focal point this next year to be force. He knows that me going downhill with my athleticism is something that a lot of bigs can't stop, especially the slower footed ones.

But being able to have a jump shot just to keep them honest is something that's going to be huge for me. Being able to pump fake and go by guys and either make a right read with a pass or dunk on someone is what I would rather tend to do. So keeping the defense honest is something big for me. If I have to shoot one, I'll shoot one. Hopefully they go in.

Q. Did you get a chance to watch Steph in the Olympics live? If so, in that run of the last couple games, what was your reaction to wherever you were sitting and watching?

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: I watched Steph in all the games. I was tuned in, especially the last one against France. After he hit that third three, the one that was a fadeaway stepback, I may or may not have ran around my couch five times. It was really cool to see and that's why he's the greatest shooter ever.

Q. Steph was in here and said he's not in the open to changing the system that has been run here for a long time but is excited about the prospect of tweaking it and tooling it so it's more comfortable for the other players. What does it mean to you to hear someone who's had as much success in the old system as Steph has to say he's excited to see it change in order to benefit the younger guys?

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: It just shows what he's about, and that's about winning. He wants just to win, and he'll do whatever it takes to win. Us as the younger guys, we've got to buy into whatever Coach is doing. If he wants to change the system to make it easier for us, we've got to do it at 110 percent. Not only for ourselves and trying to better ourselves, but for Steph and Dray and guys like that who have been here carrying the load.

Q. Speaking of evolution, the Hoosiers are ranked in the top 25. We're 5-0. Are we still just a basketball school?

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: I'm not going to say we're not just a basketball school or we are. We're an everything school. We're a soccer school, we've got nattys in soccer. Basketball, and now football is on the rise. Shout out Coach Sig and the Hoosiers, man.