Jordan Poole will be the X factor for the NBA Finals

When Warriors guard Jordan Poole was called upon to do his best Stephen Curry impersonation during Round One of the 2022 NBA Playoffs — many thought he was ready for the moment.

Poole finished the regular season with averages of 18.5 points and shot 36% from 3-point range. He made a strong case for the Most Improved Player award despite not being named a finalist.

As the playoffs continued — Poole would continue to shine — as he averaged 21 points in Round One, 17.8 points in Round Two and 16.4 points in Round Three. Each round had Poole matched up with a favorable defender — but his production did notably drop as each series continued.

In the NBA Finals, Poole has yet to break out of his slump. Although he put up 17 points in the Game Two blowout and had a productive Game Four with 14 points — Poole needs to stay aggressive and consistent throughout the game so that the Warriors have another scoring option.

“[The Celtics] got a lot of length, [they’re a] great coached team, they got guys who are vets and they also got a defensive player of the year over there, so they have a really good team set up over there defensively,” Poole said. “It’s just a bit different from the [Mavericks] in terms of matchups and personnel, but we’ve seen it all before and we just gotta find ways to adjust.”

In the NBA Finals, Poole has been mostly matched up with Celtics guard Payton Pritchard. Poole has the height advantage over Pritchard — but as soon as Poole gets by his initial defenders — the Celtics have a wall of athletic and lengthy defenders ready to meet his drives.

During Game Four of Round One — Nuggets Head Coach Michael Malone made an interesting defensive change when he put Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon on Poole. This adjustment seemed to discombobulate Poole — as he only had 11 points to show for in that game.

As each series progresses — Poole’s production dips. Perhaps it’s the pressure of the playoffs getting to him — or maybe it’s the fact that with each series — coaches have more time to prepare and make proper adjustments.

The Memphis Grizzlies bothered most of the Warriors perimeter play as well. It wasn’t just Poole who struggled versus the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies had players such as forward Desmond Bane and center Jaren Jackson Jr. as defensive anchors and always seemed to be ready for whatever the Warriors threw at them offensively.

Round Three saw a different result — as Poole had his most consistent series in terms of production. While being matched up against Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie — the Mavericks had a noticeably less athletic secondary defenders as Poole was able to have his way.

The Warriors should have the advantage over the Celtics in terms of bench production with Poole leading the bench mob. Celtics guard Derrick White gives the Celtics at least 11 points per game and players like Pritchard and Celtics guard Marcus Smart will have their moments.

But — Poole could always be counted on for at least 18 points in the regular season. As demonstrated during his Game Four performance — when Poole stays aggressive — his production is critical in keeping the Warriors in the game during the non-Curry minutes.

The Warriors are going to need his consistent scoring in order for them to have a chance in the NBA Finals.

(Photo credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)