The Jimmy Butler trade has produced great results for the Golden State Warriors.
Set aside a couple of poor recent results against the Hawks and the Heat, the Golden State Warriors have been flying since the Jimmy Butler trade.
Stephen Curry has looked refreshed since Butler’s arrival, and Draymond Green immediately locked in, promising another championship victory for the team.
The Warriors have risen up the standings, into sixth in the Western Conference, and could yet overtaken the Memphis Grizzlies into fifth.
But amid the improvement, one player has seen his minutes rapidly decline to the point where he is an afterthought.
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Trayce Jackson-Davis has been left out
One of the regular starters in the team line-up during the first half of the season was Trayce Jackson-Davis.
During December he averaged 21.8 minutes per game, and 21.2 minutes per game in January. Since then it has been a different story.
Jackson-Davis averaged only 3.3 minutes per game in February and 4.3 per game in March.
He has played in 12 games during this span – but always single digit numbers in terms of minutes, the most being the nine he got in the blowout win over the San Antonio Spurs when the Warriors scored 148 points.
Quentin Post rise has hurt Trayce Jackson-Davis
The principle reason for Trayce Jackson-Davis’ removal from the line-up is not strictly because of Jimmy Butler – although the superstar’s arrival has prompted a shake-up and a new way of playing, that Steve Kerr has admitted Jonathan Kuminga does not quite fit what he is trying to do.
One player who does, to the detriment of TJD, is rising talent Quentin Post.
Quentin Post’s ascent to a key role with the Warriors has coincided with Jackson-Davis’ disappearance.
Post averaged 19.6 minutes in March, compared to December when he played only two games averaging 2.5 minutes.
The Dutch center is highly rated by Joe Lacob and Draymond Green, and this has left 2023 draft picks TJD on the outside looking in.
Still only 23, there is still time for TJD to recover from his current situation. He must bide his time, and hope a playoff opportunity comes his way, and grab it.