Former Indiana Star Trayce Jackson-Davis Puts On a Show at NBA Draft Combine

Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis never made a three-pointer at Indiana, and never bothered to even shoot them in a game. But at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago on Monday, he showed he can step out and make shots when asked. He made 9 of his first 12 three-point attempts in a shooting drill, and performed well in the other events as well.

CHICAGO — Trayce Jackson-Davis scored 2,258 point during his four-year career at Indiana and never once made a three-pointer. Not a single one.

The knock on how his game projects to the next level has always been the great unknown of what he could do on the perimeter. So he came to this week's NBA Draft Combine intent on impressing people with his athleticism and ability to make shots.

So what does he do on his first three-pointer drill? All he did was make 9-of-12 threes out of the gate, and 11 of the first 16. He finished 12-of-25 in the drill, getting a bit fatigued down the stretch in the fast-paced drill.

Let's repeat that for effect. Trayce Jackson-Davis made 9-of-12 three-pointers.

Interesting.

'Yeah, I feel really really good about how I did,'' Jackson-Davis told HoosiersNow.com in an exclusive interview at Wintrust Arena. "Teams here have never seen me shoot the ball, so showing them I have the ability to space the floor is good for me. I just have to keep building on it, and I have a pro day here on Friday, so it's all good.

"That star drill, the fourth and fifth set got me tired. Honestly, just finding my shot and finding my rhythm, I thought it was good. Obviously, you just go right in there and shot and there's no warm-up. I thought I shot decent, made a bunch in a row early. Overall, it was a good day, a good starting point.''

Trayce Jackson-Davis gets instructions before a vertical leap test during the NBA Draft Combine on Monday in Chicago. (HoosiersNow.com photo by Tom Brew)

Jackson-Davis' big day was a year in the making. He was all set to go through this same NBA Draft combine last year, but got COVID-19 the day before and couldn't participate. Unable to improve his draft stock, he chose to come back to Indiana for his senior year.

"Yeah, I was excited to be here today, and I thought about last year and what happened,'' Jackson-Davis said. "Obviously, the Lord said I was going back to Indiana last year and that's what happened. It was honestly a blessing because it was a great, great senior season. 

"But at the end of the day I was really excited to get out here today and show them what I can do.''

Former Indiana star Trayce Jackson-Davis waits at the starting line to start an agility drill during the NBA Draft Combine on Monday in Chicago. (HoosiersNow.com photo by Tom Brew)

Jackson-Davis, Indiana's all-time leading rebounder and shot blocker as well as being No. 3 on the scoring list, has spent most of the last month in Los Angeles getting ready for the combine. He did well, posting solid numbers and both jumping and in the speed drills.

"It's been a solid month getting ready, being out in LA training for this and working on things that could help me here,'' Jackson-Davis said. "I'm very grateful for this opportunity. There were a few times that I would I could have gotten back, but I was really happy with all my testing. I thought it went really well.''

There were 11 Big Ten players on hand for drills and such on Monday, and many of them enjoyed saying hello and going through the workouts together. Purdue center Zach Edey, who did battle with Jackson-Davis for three years, was glad to see him here and doing well. They've spent a lot of time together during the offseason at various awards ceremonies, and they are both big fans of each other.

"We have a lot of mutual respect being in the same state,'' Edey said. "I've seen him grow and I've been there for most of his college career. You have a lot of respect for anyone who plays like he does, because he's such a competitor.''

Jackson-Davis said he is not taking part in the five-on-five games that will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, and instead will meet with several NBA teams while he is here. 

Then starting next week, he'll start to take some visits around the country and do individual workouts with teams. The draft is June 22, and Jackson-Davis is anywhere from No. 23 to the mid-40s in various mock drafts.

Monday was a good day, though. If NBA people had questions, Jackson-Davis gave them some answers. And that's what it's all about.

Related stories from NBA Draft Combine

• ZACH EDEY TALKS DECISION: Purdue center Zach Edey sat down with publisher Tom Brew and talked about whether to turn pro or return to the Boilermakers in an exclusive interview. Here's the story. CLICK HERE
• G LEAGUE ELITE CAMP: The G League Elite Camp took place in Chicago this weekend with college stars such as Markquis Nowell and Johnell Davis looking to improve their NBA prospects. CLICK HERE