After a forgettable first season with the Wizards, Jordan Poole is off to a much better start in year two, writes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. Despite losing Wednesday’s game in San Antonio, Poole was terrific, recording 42 points on 15-of-22 shooting, six assists, two rebounds and two steals.
As Shankar notes, Poole opened last season as the starting shooting guard, but after struggling for much of 2023/24, head coach Brian Keefe moved him to the bench to be a primary play-maker. Poole returned to the starting lineup as point guard late last season when Tyus Jones was injured, and he’s happy to have more on-ball opportunities again in ’24/25.
“I think [this game] is the perfect example [of the benefits of switching to point guard],” Poole said after Wednesday’s 42-point outburst.
Through 10 games (30.7 MPG), the 25-year-old is averaging 22.2 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 4.4 APG, 2.3 SPG and 0.7 BPG, with an efficient shooting line of .457/.444/.923. Several of those statistics represent career highs.
Here’s more on the Wizards:
- In the draft lottery in 2023, the Wizards were one ping-pong ball away from landing the No. 1 overall pick and the chance to select French phenom Victor Wembanyama. On Wednesday, he showed them what they missed by pouring in a career-high 50 points on 18-of-29 shooting, including going 8-of-16 from long distance, Shankar writes for The Post. While they have some promising young talent, Washington lacks a clear-cut star to build around like Wembanyama, Shankar notes.
- Poole and second-year forward Bilal Coulibaly are among the Wizards whose stock is up through 10 games, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic, who says Alex Sarr and Kyle Kuzma are trending in the opposite direction early on in ’24/25. Washington’s 2-8 record is actually good thing for the future, Robbins adds, as the team needs to secure another high lottery pick for a 2025 draft class that is viewed as having plenty of high-end talent.
- Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network shares some early statistical trends for the Wizards’ trio of rookie first-round picks — Sarr, Carlton Carrington and Kyshawn George.
As a Warriors fan, nice to see Poole developing. I wish we had never traded him, but Draymond’s big ego and insecurities had to get the best of him (as they always do)
Yet another Warrior fan here, happy that Poole is back on track, and wish we still had him. Before the Draymond incident, his character was never in question.
Actually, the college scouting reports questioned his maturity and his ability to transition to the next level.
Giants74 , I can’t find these “college scouting reports” you mention, but any GSW concern about Poole’s character was surely gone after 3 years of close evaluation, given GAW signed him to a $150M deal. At that time, GSW leadership said exactly the opposite of what you suggest in praising Poole’s character and maturity.
Head Coach Steve Kerr: “There’s a reason he’s in this position. He’s tough. Mentally tough and physically tough. And he’s a true team player.”
EVP/GM Bob Myers:. “He’s one of the bright, young players in our league and his work ethic and commitment to the game are impressive qualities that can’t be understated. He’ll be an important part of our future core and success, much like he was during last year’s run to the NBA championship.”
Warriors Owner Joe Lakob: “You don’t make a commitment like we’re making to Jordan without being absolutely sure of a person’s character. I’ve watched Jordan closely for three years, and I know we can count on him in the future.”
Let’s not re-write history, and blame the victim here. Jordan Poole’s career (and the 2022-23 season) was derailed by Draymond. Perhaps Poole could have responded better, but that’s all best left behind now.