Golden State Warriors: How Jordan Poole stacks up to 2 third-year breakout guards

Golden State Warriors’ Jordan Poole breakout star comparison: CJ McCollum

Poole simply can’t have the same type of breakout season as CJ McCollum, the second part of Portland’s top-two backcourt.

However, given his style of play, McCollum is just about the best ascension to stardom that Poole can relate to. From Lehigh, McCollum was the 10th overall pick in 2013, and from the start, he did not play like a lottery pick.

Both his first two seasons in the league, McCollum averaged under seven points per game. He erupted his third season to more than 20 per game, securing the 2015-2016 Most Improved Player award.

At 6-foot-3, McCollum more resembles Poole. His improvements mainly had to do with his playing time. His minutes per game went from 15.7 to 34.8.

While his minutes doubled, his aggression is what mattered as his shots per game almost tripled. While his field goal attempts tripled, McCollum also managed to improve his efficiency which is what really helped his case as a full-blown star.

This season, from LeVert and McCollum, Poole should be able to take away that working on shooting and increasing your aggression can do wonders. With Thompson hopeful to return, he may not get the opportunity that either had, but in the minutes he gets, he should still be able to improve his numbers.