A lot is expected from Jordan Poole, the Warriors’ first round pick from 2019. But as with any NBA prospect, expectations can be proven dead wrong.
So it was welcome news that Poole had a monster game for the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G-League affiliate. Check out his stat line from Monday, courtesy of Warriors Reddit. He filled up the boxscore with rebounds and assists and went 5-for-9 from 3-point range.
Poole had a nice game for the big club in Golden State just before joining Santa Cruz at the G-League bubble in Orlando, and he’s still on a roll. He had 16 points against the Pistons back on Jan. 30, prompting some teammates to joke that his flight should be cancelled.
Here’s Poole in action during the Sea Dubs’ 10-point loss to Raptors 905, courtesy of The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
I’ve been a believer in Poole’s ability since I saw his highlights on draft night, and its great to see him put it together in this highlight clip. It was clear that he has exceptional quickness and solid handles, but as he’s tried to find his way in the NBA, his performances were often underwhelming because it appeared to me he was trying too hard.
He’s twitchy, to use a football scouting term. His movements are quick and decisive, but he was too twitchy, if you will, unable to focus his movement in the right direction, often leading to head-scratching plays. His shot selection was plain awful, as well, and his shooting percentage suffered. In his NBA career, he’s shooting 34.3 percent from the field and just 28.6 percent from 3-point range.
But he’ll have every opportunity to make an impact in the NBA that’s comparable to his G-League performance. He fell behind guard Mychal Mulder in coach Steve Kerr’s rotation, but the Warriors are still in need of help at the backup guard spot. When Poole returns to Golden State, all he has to do is let the game come to him and not force anything as he’s prone to do.
As long as he can continue to shoot at a solid percentage, his quickness makes him a factor on the NBA court. Once again, if Poole can chill and not be such a spaz, so to speak, I think he’ll be a very good NBA player.
But what do you think? Is Poole ever going to reach his potential with Golden State? Or should they simply move on and try to trade for another guard? Time will tell, but Poole is busy working on his game so he’ll be ready for his next opportunity, whenever that arises.
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