Inside The Warriors

Warriors Rookie Reveals Key to Defending Giannis Antetokounmpo

Golden State Warriors rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis was big against the Milwaukee Bucks

Joey Linn

Warriors Rookie Reveals Key to Defending Giannis Antetokounmpo
Warriors Rookie Reveals Key to Defending Giannis Antetokounmpo /
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The Golden State Warriors turned in an incredible bounce back performance on Wednesday night, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks after a blowout loss to the Boston Celtics. Warriors rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis was key in the victory, finishing with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 blocks to go with some great defense on Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Speaking with the media after the game, Jackson-Davis revealed the key to his success against Antetokounmpo, saying, "I've never faced anyone like him before... The person I've watched guard him in the past that's done a pretty successful job is Blake Griffin. Just sitting back and kind of allowing him to come to you, and then watching that spin move that he likes to do."

Jackson-Davis said his agents are good friends with Griffin, and talked about the former NBA superstar's defense on Antetokounmpo with the Warriors rookie in preparation for this game. Griffin was a starter for that 2021 Brooklyn Nets team that went seven games with the Milwaukee Bucks, and he was often tasked with the Antetokounmpo matchup.

As Jackson-Davis detailed, one of the more effective defensive strategies against Antetokounmpo is to back up, absorb the bump, and then try to go vertical at the rim. For the Warriors rookie, this worked very well, as he was able to reject the Bucks star multiple times at the rim.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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