Poole, Wiseman Trade Places in Covid Protocols
It’s been a struggle to be missing so many buckets that the Warriors can usually count on, but it looks like they won’t have to fret much longer. According to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, Jordan Poole is not listed on the injury report for the game tomorrow against the Denver Nuggets.
Poole cleared the league’s health and safety protocols a few days ago, but was not able to join the team before yesterday’s game because he was quarantining in Boston. On Monday, Steve Kerr said that it was mostly a matter of checking in on Poole’s conditioning before he was going to be listed as available. It seems like Kerr’s concerns were put to rest on that front quickly.
With Poole’s return being the good news, there’s some bad news that go along with it. Slater also reported today that James Wiseman, who was supposed to advance his rehab in the coming week, has been placed into the protocol after returning a positive test.
While this isn’t a direct rotational loss for the Warriors, this development is certainly not encouraging as Wiseman works on a return to the court. If he cannot undergo conditioning as he has been, it could affect his return timetable. With that being said, the Warriors still have one of the top records in the NBA despite playing a bit shorthanded, so they can afford to take some time with him.
These developments, as they keep coming and going, have not delayed any Warriors games so far like they have been for other teams. It should also be noted that alongside Poole, returning from protocol is rookie Moses Moody. Moody was one of the hopefuls who could get some more minutes and experience with the team playing shorthanded, but his own positive test prevented that.
Golden State gets a rematch tomorrow with a Nuggets team they almost made a phenomenal comeback against last night. With Poole’s return, they should have more players to take on the offensive burden, which should put the Warriors in a better position to win.
(Photo credit: NBC Sports Bay Area)