The NBA released its 2024 All-Rookie team on Monday, which featured standout youngsters such as Victor Wenbanyama, Chet Holmgren, and Brandon Miller. Another slightly less heralded player on the list was Golden State Warriors guard Brandon Podziemski, who led the league with 38 charges drawn.
Podziemski was surprised, however, that teammate Trayce Jackson-Davis wasn't included, via his X account.
“@TrayceJackson was snubbed,” he said plainly.
Jackson-Davis came close to being selected to the All-Rookie second team but was barely beaten out by Memphis Grizzlies forward GG Jackson II. Jackson-Davis, who finished 11th in All-Rookie voting with 42 votes, was just one point behind Jackson for the 10th and final spot. The top five vote-getters earn first-team honors, while six through ten get second-team, via NBA Communications.
Was Podziemski right, or was he being biased towards his teammate?
Podziemski might have had some Warriors bias with his take
While it's admirable that Podziemski stuck up for his teammate, it's hard to argue that Jackson-Davis belongs on the list over any of the selected players. The Indiana alum averaged 7.9 points on 70.2% shooting, with five rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 blocks across 16.6 minutes per game this past year. Meanwhile, Jackson nearly doubled that scoring output, averaging 14.6 points on 42.8% shooting, with 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists across 25.7 minutes.
The main argument for Jackson-Davis would have to be durability and shooting efficiency. Jackson played in just 48 games, while Jackson-Davis played in 68. Jackson-Davis also had a much higher field goal percentage, but that's also because he doesn't shoot threes. The fact remains that Jackson was a more significant part of his team's rotation when he did play, which was probably the deciding factor between the two.
If there's anyone on the list who should've been excluded for Jackson-Davis, it's Oklahoma City guard Cason Wallace. The Kentucky alum averaged just 6.8 points on 49.1% shooting, with 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists across 20.6 minutes per game. However, playing time was a significant factor for the voters, as Wallace averaged more minutes while also playing in all 82 games.
Podziemski sounded off about the voting results on Monday, via NBC Sports' Dalton Johnson.
“It makes me upset for him,” Podziemski said. “We’ve been through everything together Just to see from a guard’s perspective his impact on our games and how he helped us win games this year, I think maybe the voters should take winning into more of an account. It sucks to see him not make it. I think he was well deserving of it.”
A legitimate point in Jackson-Davis' corner is that the Warriors are better than several of the teams of the players selected, which is a big reason why he had less playing time. Wembanyama (Spurs), Brandon Miller (Hornets), Amen Thompson (Rockets), Keyonte George (Jazz), and Jackson all play for teams that finished below the Play-In line this season. Since their squads didn't have as much depth, they got more playing time.
However, the process isn't flawless, and the voters can only analyze the numbers in front of them. Jackson-Davis will simply have to use this situation as motivation to come back even stronger next season so that it won't even be debatable whether or not he deserves recognition.
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