Why Warriors’ Wiseman, Poole can break out: Increased minutes
Both Jordan Poole and James Wiseman should be seeing 27-plus minutes this season. To kick off the season, Poole should see at least 32 each night as he’ll be the team’s second-best scoring option, arguably topping former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins.
From what Poole’s shown this preseason, dropping 30 and 28 along with many thrilling performances, he’ll clearly have a role.
Poole averaged 19.4 minutes per game last season, averaging 12 points per game. If he can top 30, there’s no reason he can’t hit at least 20 points per game. That should be a key reason why his numbers see a sharp uptick.
As for Wiseman, it’s a similar story. Kevon Looney and offseason-addition Nemanja Bjelica are just not at the second-year centers level. There should be hope that Wiseman can take a drastic step forward on both sides of the court after his first offseason with the team.
He averaged 11.5 points in 21.4 minutes per game. If he sees around 28, there’s no reason Wiseman can’t top 16 points per game. That threshold will be important as he could become a key scorer for this offense that craves scoring behind Curry, Poole, and Wiggins.
Minutes and experience should both be key reasons why the Warriors’ young prospects take the step into stardom.