With first-round pick Jordan Poole mired in a shooting slump, the Golden State Warriors sent the rookie down to the G League over the weekend to regain his confidence.
Poole responded by recording 54 points in two games with Santa Cruz. He tallied 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a win over the Stockton Kings on Saturday while he poured in 31 points on 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range in a loss to the Texas Legends on Sunday.
Prior to his G League assignment, Poole had struggled to shoot the ball.
In 16 games in November, Poole averaged 9.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists while he shot 29.4% from the field and 25.6% from 3-point range. However, in December, Poole averaged just two points in nine games after converting 11% (4-of-38) from the field and 13% (3-of-24) from 3-point range. During one stretch, Poole went 0-of-19 over a four-game span.
Poole shot 47.5% from the field in his two games in the G League, including 38.9% from beyond the arc. His strong showing in the G League came in front of some of his teammates, including D’Angelo Russell, Damion Lee and Ky Bowman.
the @warriors came out to support @NBA assignees Jordan Poole, Alen Smailagic, and the @GLeagueWarriors on Sunday night. 🙌 @Dloading | @Dami0nLee | @KyranBowman
📸 Noah Graham pic.twitter.com/G9GfIcak3O
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) December 30, 2019
As Poole looks to get back on track, it likely helped his efforts seeing a couple of his teammates sitting courtside cheering him on. The gesture by Russell, Lee and Bowman shows the Warriors have strong team chemistry this season even through the struggles on the court.
Next up for Santa Cruz: A road matchup vs. the Salt Lake City Stars on Friday.
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