LAS VEGAS — Trayce Jackson-Davis had been waiting for this moment since draft night last month.
After missing the first five Summer League games with a sore hamstring, Jackson-Davis finally made his summer debut Thursday afternoon in the Warriors’ 118-101 loss to the Houston Rockets.
Jackson-Davis, the No. 57 pick in this year’s draft, started at center in place of Santa Cruz big man Jayce Johnson. He admitted to having some jitters early on, which might explain a failed dunk and layup attempts as well as two early turnovers.
But a two-hand slam off a pick-and-roll with Brandin Podziemski at the 6:44 mark of the first quarter helped him settle in.
“You know I like tearing the rim down,” Jackson-Davis said after the Warriors dropped their fourth straight game in Las Vegas. “So getting that as a dunk was a pretty cool experience.”
Jackson-Davis, 23, appeared more comfortable as the game went on. He scored six points in the first half before finishing the day with 14, going an efficient 6-of-9 from the field. He also grabbed seven rebounds and handed out an assist.
Not bad for having only one team practice under his belt before Thursday’s game.
“At first I thought [the game] was really fast,” Jackson-Davis said. “I started finding spots on the floor that I can make an impact and then defensively I thought I was good.”
Jackson-Davis’ workload had been ramping up in recent days after he injured his hamstring in a practice leading up to the California Classic earlier this month. He called his injury a “wear-and-tear-type incident” that was the result of him going straight from pre-draft workouts to flying across the country and joining Golden State.
“I was just itching to get out there,” Jackson-Davis said.
He said he’s pain-free, though the training staff will continue to monitor it to avoid making it worse.
“Overall, I felt good,” he said. “Just going to continue to get my minutes more and more hopefully.”
Meanwhile, rookie Cam Whitmore, who surprisingly fell to No. 20 in the draft, dazzled for the Rockets, scoring a game-high 26 points on 21 shots. He also had five rebounds and an assist.
Was he playing with an extra chip on his shoulder after the Warriors passed on him to take Podziemski with the No. 19 pick?
“It don’t matter about the Warriors,” Whitmore said. “Everybody passed up on me — all these teams.”
Speaking of Podziemski, he continued to put up modest numbers in Summer League for the Warriors. The No. 19 pick out of Santa Clara tallied 10 points, six assists, three rebounds and a steal in 27 minutes. He also committed five turnovers.
The Warriors will wrap up Summer League play over the weekend with a consolation game to be determined.
Front office moves
The Warriors announced three key executive promotions on the business side of the organization Thursday afternoon.
Long-time Warriors employee John Beaven has been promoted to chief revenue officer and Mike Kitts has been elevated to Chief Commercial Officer. Meanwhile, Amanda Chin has been named the Warriors’ senior vice president of marketing and will oversee the team’s partnership sales, development and insights teams.
Beaven, entering his 21 season, will be in charge of the team’s ticket sales and service group as well as marketing, growth and retention. He’ll also oversee the Warriors Community Foundation and Franchise Development efforts.
Meanwhile, Kitts, who previously worked as the team’s vice president of partnerships, will take on additional responsibilities while overseeing Golden State’s partnership sales, development and insights teams.
“We are thrilled to announce these well-deserved promotions for John, Mike and Amanda,” team president and chief operating officer Brandon Schneider said in a written statement. “As we head into a busy slate of concerts and prepare for the 2023-24 NBA season, all three of these executives will continue to play integral roles leading our business as we provide world class experiences and engagement for our fans at Chase Center and around the world.”