Jordan Poole Makes His Case for MIP

When it comes to the battle for the Most Improved Player award in the NBA, one name has been consistently mentioned throughout the regular season — Jordan Poole.

With Klay Thompson still injured at the start of the season, someone had to carry the offensive burden next to Stephen Curry. Though there were glimpses of Poole's development at the end of the 2020-21 season, the question with Poole fell to consistency.

"I'm thrilled with the growth and maturity," Steve Kerr said. "Where he was two and a half years ago compared to now, it's just dramatic. And he's earned every bit of it. Nearly everyone in the organization calls Poole the hardest worker on the team."

In his rookie year, Poole said a lot of the criticism got into his head, and with the drastic changes in the NBA lifestyle, it was hard to make the transition.

Then, with the pandemic in full swing, Poole took advantage and scoured any open gym he could find to work on his game. Poole worked on everything in the shadows — from his ball-handling, shooting touch, and becoming an all-around scorer.

Coming into the 2021-22 season, Poole carried this work ethic over and built a foundation that he could rely on for the rest of his career — outwork everyone in the gym.

In March, Poole had a streak of 17 games where he scored 20+ points. With Curry injured and the Warriors looking to secure their playoff standing, Poole stepped up and ran the offense while remaining aggressive.

Poole averaged 25.4 points and 4.9 assists in that stretch while shooting a scorching 44.4% from three. He also led the league with 3-pointers made — cashing in 67 threes.

Poole's impressive March included eight games where he scored 20-24 points, five games of 25-29 points and five games scoring 30 or more.

Additionally, Poole led the league in free-throw percentage at 92.5%. A good indicator of any scorer is their ability to get to the line at will. This generates another source of offense when things get stagnant, it demonstrates the players' willingness to stay aggressive despite the outcome of the game.

Earlier in the season, Andre Iguodala mentioned how Poole rarely gets to the line and needs to start drawing fouls more often — and Poole heralded Iguodala's criticism by besting the greatest shooter of all time in free-throw percentage.

On the season, Poole averaged 18.5 points and 4.0 assists on a respectable 36.4% shooting from 3-point range. Compared to his sophomore campaign, Poole has drastically improved his all-around floor game — as he only averaged 12 points on 43% shooting from the field.

It's not just the scoring numbers with Poole — it's how he's getting his buckets. It's how he's reading the defense, setting up teammates instead of looking to score himself.

"I've always thought his playmaking was an underutilized skill, and this year he's been able to do more," Draymond Green said. "Earlier on, they wanted him to be a spot-up shooter, and he's not that. He's a player."

Poole has exceeded expectations in carrying the scoring burden next to Curry. With the Warriors looking to get back to their championship days, Poole has demonstrated that he can lead the team and become a reliable scorer.

"When you look at where he's come from, the steps he's taken — he's been thrown into a position that not many guys would handle well, and that's essentially to do your best Steph Curry imitation," Green said.

(Photo credit: AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)