3 Most important moves Golden State Warriors made during rebuild
By Tony Pesta
Sending Jordan Poole to the G-League
Jordan Poole has become a big fish but it was not long ago that he was a tiny tadpole struggling to find his groove with the Golden State Warriors.
His rookie season was abysmal. A minus-defender and a streaky shooter who couldn’t quite figure it out led to Poole being quickly written off. It was a no-brainer for Golden State to demote Poole to the G-League throughout his first NBA season.
In year two, however, the Warriors continued to test Poole’s patience. He had improved enough to be a rotational player but this did not stop Golden State from dumping him to Santa Cruz in an attempt to work on his craft.
When he returned, Poole strung together the best stretch of his young career, averaging 19.7 points on 49% shooting in his first 10 games back.
Many players would have sunk as their confidence plummeted in the G-League. For Poole, this trial by fire helped him learn valuable lessons that he used to excel in his third season.
So much of Poole’s success can be attributed to his willingness to learn. He embraced every role the franchise gave to him and his once jagged-edged potential has been fully polished.