Winning in basketball at any level is not easy. A lot of guys who make all-league teams in high school go from star to rotation guy to even benchwarmer sometimes in college, and with so many NCAA universities, a 64-team pool for March Madness is daunting to even get into. And then, after finding success at the collegiate level, the lights only get brighter in the NBA.

Fortunately for Jordan Poole, he’s ready for it.

Poole started in last night’s Game 1 victory over the Denver Nuggets as Steph Curry returns to action under a minutes restriction due to his foot injury sustained earlier in the season. Fortunately for the Warriors, it didn’t look much different than expected with Poole out there: He torched Denver, shooting perfect from the field and racking up 17 points in the first half before finishing the game with 30 points in as many minutes played. He shot 9-for-13 from the field as a whole and 5-for-7 from three.

It’s probably about time to crown this kid as the next Splash Brother. He showed that he was ready for the big stage in a big way. While it’s only one game, it’s evidence that his late-season heater was not a fluke, and that he can actually be this good at the most elite level. He was giving the Nuggets fits on defense, and with them blitzing Steph every time he got the ball, JP and Klay Thompson were able to capitalize - exactly what they need to do if teams are going to play Curry this tight.

Despite his excellence in his debut - and his excellence in the last half of the season - Poole was left off the list of finalists for the Most Improved Player award. This is a pretty obvious snub, as Ja Morant (only two years removed from winning a Rookie of the Year award and being in the running for Most Valuable Player this season) made the list, alongside Dejounte Murray and Darius Garland (who have both made strides in their own right). Draymond Green had a lot to say about the process and Poole being left off the finalists list after practice today:

Green makes an excellent point in this statement. All too often, voters turn these awards into a popularity contest and media circus. It’s why the current MVP favorite is captaining a 6-seed. It’s why Ben Simmons won the Rookie of the Year award when he was already in the league for at least a season. It’s why Rudy Gobert has 3 Defensive Player of the Year awards despite being constantly targeted because he plays drop coverage in pick-and-rolls against shot creators. There’s little actual consideration of what the award is other than, as Draymond said, “do we like this guy”.

Despite this obvious snub, Poole will likely continue to ball out. The starting lineup situation should be interesting to see play out once Steph is off his restrictions. Poole showed that he could take the reins as necessary, but you can’t have a 2-time MVP come off the bench if he’s healthy and can play a full game. His play has certainly warranted an increase in minutes, and his game fits well into what the Warriors are looking for in the playoffs.

“Those are large shoes to fill, being in the place of Steph Curry. He fills them better than anyone I've ever seen” Draymond also said about his teammate’s playoff debut.

The Warriors play Game 2 of the series at home on April 18th. Steph Curry appears to be good to go, although under a restriction or not remains to be seen. He may also come off the bench again, which gives the Warriors the opportunity to get some different looks against whatever Denver coach Mike Malone decides to tune after getting shelled last night.

(Photo credit: Associated Press)