The Golden State Warriors, entering their Sunday night clash against the Portland Trail Blazers, haven't exactly been on solid ground even though they managed to swing a huge victory on the first night of a back-to-back against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. Draymond Green remains out due to suspension, and Stephen Curry hasn't been at his best. In fact, Curry saw his longstanding three-point made streak come to an end against the Blazers, which is quite telling of where the franchise stands at the moment.

Thus, amid the considerable adversity the Warriors are going through at the moment, they will need some of their more unheralded players to step up and produce. On Sunday, that's exactly what the Warriors got in Trayce Jackson-Davis. The 57th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft hasn't gotten consistent minutes thus far in his rookie campaign, but during the Dubs' 118-114 win over the Blazers, he put up some quality minutes, tallying 14 points, eight rebounds, and three assists in 18 minutes of action, earning Steve Kerr's trust in the process.

“Dario [Saric] picked up his third foul, so that prompted [Trayce Jackson-Davis'] entrance into the game… as soon as we put him in, he really stepped up and played well. That's why we stayed with him,” Kerr said in his postgame presser, per NBC Sports Warriors, via ClutchPoints Twitter (X).

The Warriors, for the past two seasons, have been in need of some more quality frontcourt depth behind Kevon Looney; with Draymond Green out, they need someone who can at least show some semblance of his defensive workrate. Trayce Jackson-Davis is not there yet, of course. But it's certainly promising that Steve Kerr is starting to trust the team's youngsters more and more — rolling with the hot hand in Jackson-Davis instead of repeating some past mistakes.

It'll be interesting to see if Jackson-Davis continues to get minutes moving forward; the Warriors head coach isn't exactly known for his willingness to throw young players into the fire, especially during rough times. But with the Dubs in dire need of an infusion of youthful verve in the frontcourt, Jackson-Davis must continue this level of play to force Kerr's hand.