3 Golden State Warriors that’ll take time adjusting to Klay Thompson’s return

Warriors player that’ll take time adjusting: Jordan Poole

Jordan Poole is first on our list and arguably is going to have the biggest change with Thompson’s return. For starters, Poole is going to now be part of the team’s second unit, and he’ll be primed to be the go-to scorer for Kerr’s bench.

In the two games since Thompson’s return, Poole has averaged 23 minutes per game and 13 points per game, shooting 9-for-23 from the field and just 3-for-12 from deep. His involvement clearly isn’t what it was. His minutes are drastically down from almost 30 per game on the season.

His scoring has also taken at least a temporary hit from his 17.2 season average. Playing alongside mostly a new cast that will include players like Juan Toscano-Anderson, Gary Payton and Jonathan Kuminga, Poole will have to step into more of a floor general role.

Head coach Steve Kerr was preparing Poole for this role after the guard was taken off the league’s health and safety protocols and placed with the second unit, being Payton II.

Poole is going to have to learn to thrive as the Warriors’ sixth man and also alongside the starters as he could be on the team’s game-closing rotation as well. It’s a different role for Poole, and it’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts over the next few weeks.