My Two Cents: Jackson-Davis the 'Center' of Attention, Which Isn't Always a Good Thing

Joey Brunk's injury has forced Trayce Jackson-Davis to play center for Indiana all season, and being at the five position means more of a physical battle every night for him. He's still been great, averaging 20.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.

Tom Brew | Jan 14, 2021

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Trayce Jackson-Davis and Joey Brunk are the best of friends. They came to Indiana together two years ago, hang out together and have relied on each other often, on and off the court.

And know this: Joey Brunk, Indiana's 6-foot-11 center who hasn't been able to play at all this season because of a back injury, is really missed in the Indiana locker room. No one misses him more than Jackson-Davis.

First and foremost, of course, is that Jackson-Davis feels bad for his friend that he's missing all the fun. He is a person first, after all, and a really good kid at heart. But on the basketball court, what it's meant is that Jackson-Davis has had to play center himself – and that's a nightly war of physicality every night in the Big Ten.

That's not a good thing.

Jackson-Davis is the consummate power forward and he started to add perimeter skills to his game during the offseason. We expected to see him more on the outside – and we were excited to see that – but with Brunk gone, he's been forced to be a back-to-the-basket big man that has to stay inside.

That's too bad. Because it would have been nice to see what else he could bring to the table this season.

"With Joey being out, I think I've tried to handle his load (at the center position), with Race (Thompson) and Jerome (Hunter) and Jordan (Geronimo) playing more of the four,'' Jackson-Davis said Wednesday in advance of Thursday night's big in-state showdown between Indiana and Purdue. "I have experience playing the five. I think that I've done a pretty good job. Right now, I'm really focused on what coach (Archie Miller) needs me to do, and right now coach needs me to play the five, so I'll play the five.''

Jackson-Davis has been wonderful, of course. He's averaging 20.1 points and 9.3 rebounds a game during Indiana's 8-5 start to the season, and has certainly been one of the best players in the Big Ten – and in the country, for that matter.

Because Indiana has no front-court depth now with Brunk out, he is averaging 34.5 minutes per game, second in the league. And he gets banged around a lot, often by much bigger opponents. He's been fouled more than anyone in the country, leading the nation in free throw attempts (111) and free throws made (79).

That's a lot of pounding, and it takes its toll. That's the price Indiana has to pay for missing out on recruiting other big men the past few years.

"I'm in the training room every day. Through (13) games, I'm already more banged up than I was all of last year,'' Jackson-Davis said. "It's a grind, but at at the same time, I'm doing everything I can to help my team win. I need to play as much as I can. My teammates do a lot to help me boost my energy. I do have lapses where I get a little tired, but I think I've done a pretty good job of staying out there.''

The constant pounding comes with the territory, and you'll never once hear Jackson-Davis complain about it. He knows the deal, and also knows it's a team game. Sunday night was a perfect example in Indiana's win over Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers were dead-set on not letting Jackson-Davis touch the ball and they double-teamed him constantly in the post, even before he could catch it. What it did was leave many of his teammates wide open, and they made Nebraska pay early, scoring 31 points in just 10 minutes.

"I put a really big emphasis on my teammates stepping up and making big shots, especially in the first half. We did that,'' Jackson-Davis said. "I think that I handled the doubles pretty well. I thought they'd switch up their defense in the second half, but they kept denying me the ball.

"Rob (Phinisee) was great in the first half, and Al (Durham) made some big shots down the stretch. Race even hit a three out of a double team. They all stepped up and did their part, especially when they were trying to deny me.''

Jackson-Davis expects more of the same against Matt Painter's Purdue team on Thursday. They threw a lot of double-teams at him last year, and the Boilermakers won twice because of it. Jackson-Davis played well individually in the first loss in Bloomington – he had 16 points and eight rebounds – but in the Feb. 27 game at Purdue, he had only six points in 30 minutes, getting double-teamed constantly and making just 2-of-7 shots.

"I know Purdue has watched a lot of film on me and they're going to double me from the very jump to the end of the game,'' Jackson-Davis said. "Really, it's just about picking and choosing my opportunities to attack them. I know they'll double me from the other big a lot, so it's about hitting the dive man like Race or getting the ball into the other corner.

"It's just making the big plays and not turning the ball over. That's what really hurt us last year, especially at home where they got that lead. We turned it over too much, and gave them pick-sixes. It's about picking the right times to attack and getting them in foul trouble.''

The Hoosiers are 8-5 so far, and 3-3 in the Big Ten. They've had a couple of near misses, too, but Jackson-Davis also understands the nightly grind this league is. It's tough, especially from his view right at the basket.

"I think midway through conference, we haven't been playing defense as well but our offense has been better,'' he said. "We let a couple of games slip away, like Northwestern and Wisconsin, and we really could have been 5-1 in the conference right now.

"It's really just about executing down the stretch and finishing these games. Coach has said you've got to be good to be in these games, but you've got to be great to win them. We need to be great to finish these games off. That's where we've been struggling, in closing those games out, but I think we're getting better and that, too.''

Beating Purdue is a high priority for this team, because it's been a long time. The Boilers have won seven in a row over the past four years. Miller is 0-5 against Painter and the Boilers

"I think last year really meant a lot to me and my teammates, but this year it's even more,'' Jackson-Davis said. "Coach talks about how we've got to change that culture. That's the big emphasis, especially with the young guys who don't know what it's like to lose to Purdue, and they don't want to continue that tradition at all. They've had our number the past few years. We want to change that. They only way to do that is to beat them. ''

That next chance comes Thursday night.

"With them, it's going to be a grind-it-out win,'' Jackson-Davis said. 'If we find something on offense that works, I expect us to go to that 100 percent. It's so physical with them, it's going to be a war. It's more than just a conference game, it's a rivarly game, too. We've just got to be ready to go and ready to play.''

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