Jordan Poole, the Golden State Warriors 2019 first-round pick, may prove to be an invaluable asset for the team’s second unit in 2021.
There’s no denying this season has been a bumpy ride for Jordan Poole. Hoping to have barely played for the Golden State Warriors to start and to be eased into a constant flow of minutes, Poole was immediately cast to the wolves.
The Warriors were plagued with injuries.
It wasn’t just to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. D’Angelo Russell, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney, Jacob Evans III, and others all missed time, resulting in big minutes for Poole, Eric Paschall and then two-way players Ky Bowman and Damion Lee.
Well, Poole struggled. We saw that coming a mile away. He wasn’t made to hop right into the league and be a star. It was really his efficiency, not his confidence, that was the problem. Those issued eventually led him to the Santa Cruz Warriors.
A short stint then brought him back up to the team that drafted him. He started to find his flow and produce immediately. Throughout his last 13 games, Poole has notched double digits in every performance which he’s seen at least 20 minutes.
It’s not just his scoring though.
Sure, scoring on a bad team is still scoring, but many don’t view it the same. It was more about his efficiency. Poole jumped right back into the core of the team and shot 47% over that stretch.
For a three-point shooting rookie, that’s impressive.
He was a positive difference-maker for the Warriors in the bulk of games after being recalled.
That type of dominance will land him a spot on the roster next seasons and, along with Eric Paschall, will likely also earn him big-time minutes on a unit that is destined to be one of the least productive in the league.
He can change that assumption, and all he has to do is continue his stellar play to potentially end his rookie year into the one that comes next.