Transcript: Trayce Jackson-Davis on Summer League workouts; fixing his body; riding the bench; JK, Loon and Horford

From 2025-07-15, 95.7 THE GAME

From 2025-07-15 Trayce Jackson-Davis, 95.7 THE GAME

Willard & Dibs

What is your role when you go out there to Summer League at this stage in your career?

Trayce Jackson-Davis

My role is to obviously go support the Summer League guys and our draft picks and everyone that's just grinding out there, but also to get some work in with the team and just continue to just to build camaraderie with the guys and the fellas. I'm out with BP [Brandin Podziemski] a lot. That was a good time, hung out with QP [Quinten Post], BP. So just being with the guys, haven't seen them all summer because I've been down in LA training.

W&D

So when you go out here and you're working with those guys you just mentioned and also the rooks, are you involved in individual workouts? Is there scrimmaging against some of the Summer League guys? What actually goes on when you come out here to Vegas?

Trayce Jackson-Davis

Yes, we did a scrimmage one day, but mostly it's just still really early in the offseason, so just continuing to build to get into the best shape possible. Checking in, see how I'm doing, where my weight's at, where my body's at. But everything's all good. So but it's been fun. It's been fun being with B, seeing him. We basically just were together all season and then kind of went our several ways. So it's seeing him, QP, B. It's been a great time.

W&D

Trayce, I wonder what you envision for your role this year, particularly, and I know more moves are on the way, but particularly because one of the centers on the team has left for New Orleans in Kevon Looney. So what's in your mind's eye right now for the upcoming year?

Trayce Jackson-Davis

Yeah, obviously we love Loon. The way that he helped me just was tremendous, just who he is as a person, who he is as a player, the ultimate team guy, the ultimate teammate, someone that you want to be around. And I have a lot that I can thank him for. I have a lot that I have to offer because of him and how to do things the right way. And but at the end of the day, we still got to win. Me and QP got to gear up and get ready. Obviously, we're trying to make some moves here. So we'll see how that plays out. But at the end of the day, we got to be ready to go. And so that's the biggest thing for me. I think that's the biggest thing I could say for QP is when that first preseason game hits, we're full speed running. And so we just got to keep stay locked in and keep grinding it.

W&D

What about the emotional part of having Kevon leave, somebody who was obviously a big part of the fabric of this team for ten years and somebody with whom you worked closely as a big man? How does it hit you in more of a personal way, having Kevon be gone?

Trayce Jackson-Davis

No, yes. He was one of the first people to text me when I drafted my rookie year. And so we built a great relationship. He's taught me so much and just how to handle things the right way, not playing, playing, always doing stuff at the highest level possible, but just overall a great person and he's going to be missed dearly. But At the end of the day, there's a business, and he got some good money over there in New Orleans. I know him and JP [Jordan Poole] are boys, so it's good for him. But at the end of the day, we're going to miss him over here.

W&D

On some level, did it feel like a little bit of a vote of confidence from the team at your position to allow one of the others to leave?

Trayce Jackson-Davis

Oh, absolutely. I talked to Mike, I've talked to Larry, I've talked to all those guys. And what they're saying is at the same time you guys got to be ready, and we're going to hit this ground running. And I talk to Steve and all the guys and coach, yeah. So and just being ready because we obviously have a lot of talent on the team already. We got Draymond, we got Steph, we got Jimmy. We had a great record in the second half of the season. And so we got to continue to build off of that. And like I said, I think there's still moves to be made, but that core group won us a lot of games, and we just got to continue to build, continue to work. And that's what we're going to do.

W&D

Individually, what are you working on this offseason? And what do you look at so far through your career as an area where you need to improve?

Trayce Jackson-Davis

I felt like from last year to this year, something that really struggled was just my body in general. I felt like during the offseason last year, I got hurt. My knees, my body, my body fat, my weight weren't where they needed to be. And I think that affected me tremendously on the court. I felt like I didn't have the pop, I didn't have the bounce that I had my rookie year. And so getting back to finishing at a high level, above the rim, dunking on people and doing stuff of that nature, blocking shots and getting down and running in transition is where I thrive. and where I can help Jimmy and Draymond and provide that vertical space and take some of the stresses off of Draymond on the defensive end of the floor. And so that's the biggest thing that I've been working on, just running, getting my body in the best shape possible. Obviously, there's little things like free throws and stuff like that that I need to lock in and hone in on that I've been doing day to day. And so but I think that if I can get my body back to where it was my rookie year. And how I was playing my rookie year and finishing at a high level again, I think that helps the team tremendously.

W&D

Trayce, I wonder if it's not just free throws. Like, I listen to a team that clearly talks a lot about floor spacing bigs, and they go out there and they draft Quinten Post, and there's rumors about Vucevic in Chicago all year long. Like, does this ever cross your mind? Like, do you want to work on some sort of an outside jump shot a little bit more?

Trayce Jackson-Davis

Yeah, I work on my outside jump shot, but at the end of the day, I feel like just having Steph, BP, Buddy those are the guys that are going to take the majority of the shots. And if I'm able to apply pressure and setting screens and getting downhill to the rim and having guys help off of those guys and having an open buddy in the corner because they have to take away a lot, I'll take that ten out of ten times over me shooting a three.

W&D

So yeah, I mean, definitely something that you have great awareness of, and when you're surrounded by that much shooting, it makes perfect sense. And I wonder about the defensive side of the game for you? Because a lot of times, Draymond takes the five when you're in there, you have that same role. Is that something that you're looking at now as a greater challenge when you look around the West and all these great big men that are in the conference?

Trayce Jackson-Davis

No, absolutely. And that's something that if me and Draymond are able to play together and me taking the five and letting him be the rover that he is, and that's where he really truly excels, where he can just play quarterback and tell everyone what to do. So taking that pressure off of him is huge. And obviously, he's getting a little bit older now, so just trying to help him do that. And that's just something that I'm going to have to continue to work on. And I feel like, again, if I get my body into the best shape possible, I'll be able to do that.

…

W&D

You mentioned QP. Have you ever played chess with him?

Trayce Jackson-Davis

No, I refused to play chess with him because he tried to trick me. What does that mean? He was like, 'Cause we have the chess app, and he's like, yo. play me in chess, I'm not that good. I'm like, and then I look at his score and it's like 1600. It's like triple mine. And I'm like, dude, like I'm not playing you. You're way too good.

W&D

And did you hear that he won this event out there this week?

Trayce Jackson-Davis

No, I'm not surprised at all. I know, because I played Mo [Moses Moody] before, and Moe's really good as well. And QP beats Mo pretty easily. So I'm like. This dude's really good.

W&D

Yeah, a definite pecking order in the chess world. Outside of chess, when you're on the road during the season, How do you decompress? Is it online gaming? Is it something else? What does TJD do on the road as an NBA player to kind of take his mind off the game?

Trayce Jackson-Davis

Usually, I'll go out to eat with my teammates and some of my coaches. We have like team dinners that we go to as a team. What else do I do? I love watching TV series, I've been watching Entourage, and that's been hilarious. And so but other than that, playing the game, usually if I'm playing the game, I'm playing with BP, me and him growing Call of Duty. But I've been off of it this summer, so I need to get back on track.

…

W&D

I want to ask you how this entire Kuminga conversation feels to a teammate. He's literally become one of the linchpins of the entire NBA offseason. And so, from your perspective, having played with him. Like, I don't know. How do you process this? What do you think?

Trayce Jackson-Davis

I process it in a sense that JK is a great teammate. He's a great person. Like he's someone that obviously we're going through a similar situation. And so we're on the bench, we're joking around, we're talking, but he's just trying to make the best decision for himself. And I know that he has some of the vets like Dre, Steph, Jimmy, he can always go and talk to them. But at the end of the day, we all want what's best for JK. And I know he's going to make that decision. He's going to make the right choice. And whatever that may be, I'm not worried at all because he's a friend first before he's a teammate. And we all want him to make the best decision for himself.

W&D

Man, Trayce, that's an interesting comment when you say you guys are going through the same thing over there. And I get it. Like, you may have even heard Kevon Looney recently, I did a podcast and talked about how hard it is to have a team not put you out there when you want to be out there. I think people look at things differently when it's a lottery pick. And all of that, but I wonder if you can speak to that. Because all of you are competitive, you all want to play. How do you describe that feeling when you want to be out there, and it's in a way not your turn, or the team is not looking to you.

Trayce Jackson-Davis

Yes, obviously, it sucks. I come from a place where in college, I started every game. I played thirty to forty minutes a game, and I did it at a high level. And coming here, you got to wait your turn. And it sucks. Like even my rookie year, I got more minutes than I did this year. And obviously, you want to make sure that you stay level headed. But at the same time, you know you can help and you got to keep your confidence up. You got to keep working on your game. But it's hard, especially I kind of understood it because I kind of went through a little rut in the middle of the season. And so it wasn't that I didn't want to play, but I kind of knew what was going on, and we were winning games. So I'm always going to be a team first guy in that sense. But you always got to stay ready because coach is just someone that like you saw, we play Minnesota, you play good one game, I haven't played in about a month and a half and then you're starting the next game. And so that's just something that can happen with him. And but we just always got to stay ready. And yeah, I totally get it.

W&D

And by the way, with regard to the position you play, and you referenced earlier that more moves are coming. I'm sure you're aware of the widely reported rumor that the Warriors at Al Horford have been talking a lot. Yeah, how does that potential acquisition grab you?

Trayce Jackson-Davis

I think it would be great for us. Another floor spacing big. He's a little older. Obviously, me and QP are going to get our fair share of minutes as well. But just having him teach us, being a part of the winning culture, I think that's going to be great for me and QP in our development.