Jordan Poole Will Put The League On Notice This Season
Last season Jordan Poole found his rhythm with the Warriors and averaged career highs in almost every category. This may have been because of his increased role with the absence of Klay Thompson, but even after his return in January, Poole continued to thrive. And when the Warriors needed him most in the Finals he stepped up and showed why he is one of the league's best young players. Poole wants to do it again as he had this to say:
Poole averaged 18.5 points per game last season and can easily increase that mark to 20 or higher this season, especially if he is the sixth man again. That might make him an early Sixth Man of the Year award candidate as there aren’t many players that come off the bench that can match Poole offensively. His handles and playmaking skills are already at an elite level for such a young age. But he only averaged 4 assists last season so expect that number to rise just a bit if he wants to truly expand his game.
This year will be a highly anticipated one as now Poole and his teammates have a successful year under their belt and a full season to work together. Even last year, many were quick to crown him as the “Steph Curry Disciple” because he soaks up so much knowledge from the two-time MVP, mirroring his tendencies so much so that Poole has become an elite free throw shooter just like Curry. He even beat the best shooter alive last season for the player with the highest free throw percentage, so expect it to be no different this year.
The only flaw in his game is defense, but when you work with guys like Klay, Draymond, and Wiggins, it will surely improve. But in a lot of ways, defense is all about how much the player wants to compete and work on that end, so it is all up to Poole if he wants to shift some of his focus there. On the opposite end, opposing defenses have a hard time guarding him as his off-ball movement was some of the best last season. The Warriors offense will have him running off of several screens and back cutting until the defender runs out of breath. The 2022-23 season should see a polished Poole that knows how to get open and when to get his shot off.
With the contract extension out of the way, he and Warriors fans will have nothing to worry about for the next four years at least. He can put all his focus on the game of basketball and not have any outside distractions derailing his success on the court. As previously mentioned, his stats all saw an improvement from in years prior, including his three-point percentage. He was hovering around 36% which means it is totally possible for him to become a 40% three-point shooter just like the Splash Bros.
The journey for Poole has been an incredible one, as just a few seasons ago he was in the G-League working on his game. Now he has the chance to be a real star in the NBA and has another shot at winning it all this season. If he can lock in defensively like Curry has done in the past few seasons, then the NBA will be in trouble. We know what he can do offensively, and if you need a reminder, the Warriors posted a ten-minute highlight reel of some of his best buckets:
Or you just tune in tonight at 10p.m. as the Warriors host the Lakers opening night, and more importantly, get to raise another banner in front of the home crowd at the Chase Center.
(Photo credit: Chris Szagola / Associated Press)