Where former Golden State Warriors’ youngster Jordan Poole sits among NBA’s shooting-guards

As Jordan Poole prepares for a fresh start with a new franchise, fans and analyst continue to debate the Golden State Warriors’ decision to send the young guard to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Chris Paul.

After a tumultuous 2022-23 season that was ultimately his last with the Warriors, evaluations on Poole’s game varies among pundits. The 24-year-old did average over 20 points per game last season, but his declining form during the playoffs will also be at the forefront of minds.

Former Golden State Warriors’ youngster Jordan Poole has been ranked as the 17th-best shooting-guard in the NBA.

In a recent ranking of the league’s best shooting-guards, HoopsHype’s Frank Urbina has graded Poole as the 17th-best in the NBA. Poole’s expected to garner greater opportunity as an offensive initiator in Washington, but that’s not necessarily a guarantee of greater success.

"“Poole, a talented, creative scorer from all three levels, should be able to put up good numbers with the Wizards following the departure of a player coming up later on this list. We’ll just have to wait and see if they are numbers impactful to winning”, Urbina wrote."

As Poole remarkably rose from late first-round pick to $120 million player, many Warrior fans began to compare his production and value with incumbent shooting-guard Klay Thompson. There had been minor calls from fans for Poole to start over Thompson at times over the last 18 months, but head coach Steve Kerr never hinted at the possibility.

Urbina believes the 33-year-old veteran remains a better player than Poole at this stage, with Thompson ranked as the 13th-best shooting-guard in the league. Separating the pair is OKC Thunder’ youngster Jalen Williams, Portland Trail Blazers’ combo-guard Anfernee Simons, and much improved Los Angeles Lakers Austin Reaves.

Perhaps more intriguingly, Paul was ranked as the 22nd-best point-guard in the NBA according to Urbina. That seemed harsh to the 38-year-old who sat behind the likes of Derrick White, Russell Westbrook and rookie Scoot Henderson.

While Poole is no longer a member of the Warriors, most fans will no doubt look forward to following his career from afar. Only time will tell if the franchise has made a huge error in trading the former 28th overall pick, and if he can rise up league’s rankings in more of a point-guard role next season.