Steph Curry is a unique player. He’s the start of a new archetype of hooper at the NBA level, almost impossible to compare with anyone before him based on his skillset. There probably will never be another Steph either, despite so many people starting to play like him more and more: He’s a transcendent star, a freak of nature in his own way. It’s safe to say his uniqueness is secure for the foreseeable future.

But as just said, more and more players are starting to play like Steph. The most obvious example is Trae Young, who has the handle, playmaking acumen, and deep range to fit the archetype. Darius Garland is much the same, coming into his own this year as an efficient space creator who can pour it in when he’s on. One other guy in the league who’s been on that same kick recently?

Jordan Poole, of course.

We’ve compared Poole to Curry before, referring to him as a “Steph disciple” since the season began. He’s made leaps and bounds in his play through the season, mostly in terms of simplifying his game and wisening up as a scorer. He’s a better game manager, increasing his IQ with more playing time as well. Despite being a different type of player, there are a lot of developing similarities in Poole’s game that are resemblant of the 2-time MVP, 3-time champ he’s been an understudy for.

1) Inside-Outside Scoring
Steph Curry is infamous for, despite being a great midrange scorer earlier in his career, omitting the midrange from his game unless he really can’t get anything else. It’s hard to get midrange shots up when teams are blitzing high pick-and-roll actions. Steph has effectively turned 25-feet to his midrange, getting separation and breaking down defenders from right around the arc instead of right within it. Poole attempts 13 shots a game. Of those, only 1.5 are from what the NBA statistics database deems the mid-range. He definitely shoots the three-ball the most, but he also has great rim pressure to the tune of 68% shooting in the restricted zone (which is a mind-boggling percentage for a 6’4 guard, by the way).
Last season, Steph Curry attempted only 2 mid-range shots per game, with the rest of his looks coming from the 3-point line (mostly above the break, which is one of Poole’s favorite shots as well) and in the paint. Their shot charts look similar, although they get those looks in different ways. For Poole, it’s his rim pressure and driving ability that set up his space creation. For Steph, it’s the inverse, where teams have to play so far up on him to prevent a shot that he can break down defenders easier.

2) Tough Shot-Making
While Poole and Curry are both knockdown shooters on wide-open shots, it’s the off-the-dribble, well-defender shots that set them apart. On Poole’s recent heater, the only Warrior to score 20+ points in 11 straight games along with Kevin Durant and Steph Curry, he’s been knocking down contested shots like its nobody’s business. He’s shooting 50% with a defender 0-2 feet away from him, and 46% with a defender 2-4 feet away from him. Those are shots the NBA categorizes as “very tight” and “tight” respectively. He’s shooting 47% on threes that are off-the-dribble, and 60% on pull-up triples specifically. For reference, Steph shot 40% on threes off-the-dribble in last season’s April, and 46% on pull-ups. While this is hardly sustainable for Poole, it shows just how on another level he’s been.

3) Big Time Plays
JP3 just has a wow factor to him. He steps up in big moments, and when he’s going, he starts to pour it on. It’s hard to measure in statistics, but he’s just electric. There’s an impression that his buckets leave when he gets going that’s just demoralizing for opposing defenses because of how much talent he has and how versatile his skills are… much like Steph. The Miami Heat started throwing double-teams at him in their matchup with the Warriors on March 23rd, just trying to get the ball out of his hands, and he still finished with 30 points. There’s just something about how he gets his buckets in big moments that is reminiscent of Curry: He has that same explosive scoring capability, and his growth this season has lended a lot to that.

(Photo credit: Chris Szagola / AP Photo)