Jordan Poole can be a key contributor for the Golden State Warriors next season if he is able to make strides in his development.
The Golden State Warriors felt like they had a steal in the 2019 NBA Draft when they selected Jordan Poole late in the first round. The Michigan guard had a solid sophomore season and looked like he had the potential to be a prolific catch-and-shoot threat at the NBA level.
So far, Poole has been nothing but shakey from the 3-point line. Of 96 players to attempt 250+ total 3-pointers this season, Poole ranked as the worst of the bunch, shooting just 27.9 percent. Another member of the Warriors, Andrew Wiggins, was also towards the bottom of the list, connecting on 33.2 percent of his attempts.
This is a concerning sign for the Warriors, who rely heavily on 3-point shooting to run their offense smoothly. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are two of the best to ever do it but a reliable supporting cast is extremely important.
Poole’s best path to success is embracing his role and becoming a consistent shooter. At 20 years of age, Poole has time to develop his shot. He already took big steps in the right direction, shooting over 33 percent from deep and averaging 11.7 points in the last 24 games of the season.
Obviously, this clip is still far from being trustworthy. Poole will need to get himself in the 36-40 range to really have an impact on the Warriors. Hopefully, having less responsibility next season will help him focus on knocking down open shots.
On the defensive end, Poole is a major liability. He was frequently beat by quicker opponents and lacked the physicality to deter players from scoring on him. This is an area that Poole will need to improve drastically in order to have a positive impact.
Poole is one of the only backup guards the Dubs currently have on the roster. But, it’s hard to imagine the franchise feels comfortable with him as a key rotational player right now. Poole will need to prove himself before earning consistent minutes, but the potential for him to be a spark plug shooter off the bench is there.