Jordan Poole’s biggest issue glaring in Golden State Warriors’ loss

In a surprise to some, Jordan Poole was pushed back to the bench with the return of Stephen Curry against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. The fourth-year guard was demoted to a sixth man role with head coach Steve Kerr preferring Donte DiVincenzo alongside Curry and Klay Thompson.

Poole played a tick over 28 minutes in the loss, plying his trade as the backup point-guard while also spending time in three-guard lineups. The 23-year-old finished with ten points, three rebounds and four assists in an up-and-down performance.

Jordan Poole has yet to conquer the sixth man role for the Golden State Warriors, and his issues were again evident against the Lakers.

Many of Golden State’s early season woes arose from the disappointing play of Poole and others in a young and inexperienced bench unit. He began this game well though with all ten of his points coming in the first-half. It was the type of play that the Warriors have been craving since the start of the season — productive minutes where he can carry the team and be a lead ball-handler and shot-creator without Curry on the floor. Poole aided in turning the tide of the contest in the second-quarter after the Lakers had built a 20-point lead in the opening period.

The second-half was a different story as Poole went scoreless and missed all five of his field-goal attempts. Ten points on 11 shots is hardly a standout performance, particularly for someone who’s bringing little on the other side of the ball. It’s one isolated game sure, but it’s also a representation of Poole’s struggles as a sixth man this season.

Obviously his minutes are a little more limited and slightly less predictable in a bench role. It’s therefore only natural that the pressure may rise to have an immediate positive impact once he hits the floor. Poole’s consistency, along with the defensive end, is the one thing holding him back from being a 25-point per game scorer, and taking the next leap to a near All-Star level player. The best players simply don’t go an entire half without scoring when that’s their best attribute.

Then there’s isolated moments of consistency — making sure effective decision-making and shot selection doesn’t waver throughout a game. With the Warriors down two with five minutes remaining in the game, Poole took what can only be described as an ill-advised step-back wing three with 18 seconds left on the shot clock. He missed, Dennis Schroder made an open three on the other end, and all of a sudden the Lakers had the momentum again after Golden State had tied it less than a minute earlier.

Poole’s role will be fascinating moving forward. The return of Andrew Wiggins could diminish Kerr’s use for three-guard lineups, while it’s hoped that Gary Payton II will return at some point before the end of the regular season. This is someone who Golden State have committed four-years, $128 million to going forward, but how much will Kerr be able to commit to him as they near full health and prepare for another postseason tilt?