Why Jackson-Davis, Podziemski were reassigned by Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Warriors began a four-game road trip Friday in Oklahoma City, but rookies Trayce Jackson-Davis and Brandin Podziemski didn’t make the trek with Golden State.
Instead, Jackson-Davis and Podziemski were reassigned to the Warriors’ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz.
The first question to Warriors coach Steve Kerr during his pregame press conference Friday at Paycom Center was about why the rookies were sent to Santa Cruz.
“The next few days are training camp for Santa Cruz,” Kerr told reporters. “So, a lot of great drill work, scrimmage time. And with neither guy in the rotation right now, we felt like it was better time spent there and then, they’ll rejoin the team soon.”
Podziemski, the No. 19 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, has appeared in just one game so far this season, stepping into the rotation when Klay Thompson and Jonathan Kuminga missed the Warriors’ win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.
In 23 minutes of action, Podziemski finished with five points on 2-of-5 shooting while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out two assists. He was a plus-15 off the bench.
Jackson-Davis has seen action in two games this season and looks like he can be a solid contributor for the Warriors. He played just under five minutes against the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 27 and didn’t score, but he was a plus-seven in his NBA debut.
With the Warriors winning handily against the Pelicans, Jackson-Davis played 20 minutes and scored 13 points and pulled down nine rebounds, coming up just shy of his first career double-double. He also had four blocks.
The Warriors like what they have in Jackson-Davis and Podziemski, but for now, they want the rookies to get some work in with Santa Cruz.
That means the Warriors will try to get through the four-game trip with an 11-man rotation unless they summon one or both rookies to join them in Cleveland, Detroit or Denver.
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