3 Former Golden State Warriors off to rocky starts to begin 2023-24 season
No. 3: Jordan Poole, Washington Wizards
Donte DiVincenzo was a one-year role player for the Warriors; James Wiseman was a draft bust who logged just 60 games total in a Golden State uniform. Jordan Poole, however, played 266 regular season games and another 35 playoff games for the Warriors. He was a rotation player on a title team. For good or for ill, he built a strong connection to the Warriors’ franchise.
When Poole was traded to the Washington Wizards this summer for Chris Paul, the reactions were a mixture of relief, trepidation and sadness. Poole was a player who had developed on the Warriors and learned how to play with their stars. It also led to the obvious question: how would Poole fair with his own team to run?
The answer is…about the same. In six games with the Wizards to start the season, Poole is shooting nearly the same from the field and from 3-point range as he did last season, 43.6 percent and 33.3 percent, respectively. He’s averaging fewer assists but slightly fewer turnovers as well, and his defensive action is actually slightly improved.
The problem is that Poole is no longer a supporting player; he’s the co-star alongside Kyle Kuzma. The Wizards could use more out of him, and he hasn’t been able to provide it. His offensive impact has been negative, something that can happen for a player as poor defensively as Poole. For the season he is one of the most negatively impactful players in the entire NBA with a -21.2 net rating.
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It’s somewhat surprising that Poole is not getting up more shots; he has only taken more than 18 shots once this season. He hasn’t “gotten hot” in a game either, not like he did at times for the Warriors or even as he did scoring 41 points in the preseason. He’ll have some big nights, but Poole’s inability to stretch his wings doesn’t bode well for his ability to become an All-Star type of player.