Why Washington Wizards’ Jordan Poole Experiment Hasn’t Been Working
The Golden State Warriors have experienced a lot of success over the past few seasons, and new Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole had been a part of it until this offseason.
Anytime you are led by the greatest three point shooter of all time in the history of the game like the Warriors are - who happens to be a two time MVP and nine time NBA Allstar - success is sure to follow you.
Warriors guard Steph Curry has been amazing throughout his NBA Career. He has been so amazing because he has had help along the way, like Poole, who the Wizards hoped would bring some of that magic with him when they traded for him.
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But Poole wasn’t alone - or even the primary role player - while with Golden State.
Golden State forward Draymond Green is one of the toughest and fiercest players in the league. Nobody looks forward to matching up against him because he wears you out, not just physically but emotionally as well.
Nobody wants to pick a fight with Green, and if you don’t believe us, ask Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert.
The list of luxuries didn’t stop there. The Warriors also have guard Klay Thompson who has secured himself as one of the best scorers and defenders in NBA History.
Generally you think of Thompson as a ‘3 & D’ type of player but he’s more than that. He is a scorer who has been one of the best this decade.
With so much success prior to arriving to Washington many are asking the question: Why is Jordan Poole struggling so much this season?
Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) drives to the basket as New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley (5) defends in the third quarter at Capital One Arena.
The short and direct answer to that question is because he is starting for the Wizards and asked to do a lot for them.
What’s the answer? Washington would take a lot of backlash for this decision, but perhaps they should bring Poole off the bench.
He played well in that role with the Warriors. He was playing against second string players as he did so and was able to take advantage of that situation.
The Wizards don’t have a Curry, a Thompson, or even a Green on this team.
They also don’t have a coach like Steve Kerr either.
Kerr has won championships in the NBA as both a player and a coach. While Wes Unseld Jr. didn’t play in the NBA, he still hasn’t experienced the success as a coach either.
He may be able to if he makes the tough decision to bring Poole off the bench.
They need to allow Poole to be a player that he knows he can be in a situation that is familiar to him.
Despite coming off the bench, he can still have and play starter minutes.
This in turn could offer up the opportunity for second-year guard Johnny Davis to play more and develop to improve the team.
The bottom line is what’s being done with Poole right now isn’t working, and the solution may be unpopular, but the improvement in play would be well received.
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