Tag: jordan poole

Could G League stint be the answer for Warriors rookie Jordan Poole?

A trip down to Santa Cruz with the Warriors G League affiliate could benefit rookie, Jordan Poole in the long-run.

The Golden State Warriors 2019 first-round draft pick, Jordan Poole, has had an underwhelming start to his NBA career. Yet, late in November against the Miami Heat, the rookie looked like he to took a step forward.

Poole tied a career-high 20-points, knocking down five-three pointers on six shots from the distance— his best shooting night as a professional. Leading into Miami, Poole hit double-digit scoring numbers in four-of-five games. However, more important than the stats, the Michigan product looked comfortable on the floor. Poole seemed to find some rhythm for the first time in his NBA career.

Since Miami, it’s been a different story for Poole. The rookie has registered only one point in three games since his career shooting night in South Beach, and it hasn’t looked pretty. Poole is 0-16 from the field and 0-9 from beyond the arc, with his only basket coming from a trip to the free-throw line where he went one-for-two.

Poole’s start to his career hasn’t been typical for the 28th overall pick. The former Wolverine ranks in the top-10 in rookie minutes played, as he’s been thrust into Golden State’s lineup due to injuries. Not only has he been asked to play heavy minutes, but he’s also tasked with being a scorer for the struggling Warriors. Poole ranks in rookie field goal attempts, three points attempts and free-throw attempts.

Poole’s development is looking stunted in 2019, but luckily for the Warriors, the team is getting healthy for the first time this season. D’Angelo Russell returned against the Charlotte Hornets, while guards, Jacob Evans and Damion Lee, are nearing a return to the floor. With an influx in backcourt talent, Poole’s best bet could be in the G League.

A trip down to Santa Cruz with the Warriors G League affiliate could help build Poole’s game. Poole needs to see the ball go in the basketball hoop— he needs to build up his confidence with his shot. A mixture of some time on the bench and growth in the G League could be beneficial to Poole’s long term career.

Stephen Curry broke down Jordan Poole’s career night vs. the Heat

With Stephen Curry out of the lineup with a broken hand, he helped out with media coverage for the Warriors on Friday.

First, it was Klay Thompson, now it’s Stephen Curry.

On Friday, the two-time MVP put his analyst cap on and joined NBC Sports Bay Area for some studio coverage as the Warriors lost to the Miami Heat on the road.

Rookie Jordan Poole tied a career-high with 20 points while he went 5-of-6 from 3-point range in 28 minutes off of the bench. As Curry pointed out, Poole had a number of open looks, which he knocked down without hesitation.

The performance by Poole was much-needed after struggling with his shot recently. Prior to Friday night, Poole had gone just 4-of-31 (12.9%) from 3-point range in his previous seven games but snapped out of his recent slump by draining a season-high five attempts from beyond the arc.

With Curry out of the lineup with a broken hand, he helped out with media coverage on Friday while Thompson worked as a sideline reporter for the Warriors’ game on Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls.

Poole is still working through staying consistent this season but he has shown the ability to get hot from 3-point range, which certainly gives the Warriors hope for the future. He has the opportunity to learn from the likes of Curry and Thompson and could have a bright future in the Bay.

The Warriors play next on Sunday against the Orlando Magic.

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Jordan Poole isn’t worried about his shot: ‘This is not life or death’

Jordan Poole’s rookie season hasn’t gone as planned, but after a 20-point night in Miami, the rookie is keeping things even steady.

Similar to the Golden State Warriors franchise, the 2019-20 season hasn’t gone to plan for Jordan Poole. When the Warriors selected Poole 28th overall in the 2019 NBA draft, his best trait for the next level was his shooting ability. However, since suiting up in a Golden State uniform, he hasn’t been able to find the net.

Poole’s season started as a nightmare, shooting 28.1 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from beyond the arc. The rookie looked lost offensively, his shot looked rushed, and almost panicked. Poole had shooting nights that consisted of 2-for-13, 1-for-9, 2-for-11, and 3-for-13.

Through 20 games into the season, Poole’s shot under 30 percent from the field in 13 times, in six games, he failed to sink one three-pointer. No matter how bad his shooting woes got, Poole isn’t digging too deep into why his shots aren’t falling.

“This is not life or death,” said Poole. “There’s really people out there battling life or death, this is not that. So, you get paid to play basketball? This is an activity, a hobby— I mean, it’s fun.”

The Michigan product’s bad luck started to change when Golden State traveled to Miami. The rookie knocked down five three-pointers on six attempts. Poole totaled 20 points on one of his best shooting nights as a professional, but what was most encouraging was how he looked comfortable on the NBA stage.

Poole played with confidence and a bit of swagger on the floor. Poole was even caught talking a little smack to his former teammate turned Miami Heat guard, Duncan Robinson.

There was no big secret on what changed with Poole’s game against Miami compared to his early-season struggles, the rookie said he’s just sticking with what got him here to this point, tonight the difference was the ball just went in the hoop.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters in Miami that this was the type of game Poole needed after going through “the wringer” to start his career.

“This is the kind of game he needs to have occasionally to keep his spirit up,” said Kerr. “He’s got a long way to go, and he knows that, but he’s been putting in the effort.”

Support from his coaches, and finally seeing the ball go into the basket should provide the confidence Poole needs to stay in the rhythm he found in Miami. The Warriors season has switched gears into being more about the future than the present, and Poole, at only 20-years-old looks to be a big part of the team’s long term plans.

Eric Paschall never seemed to worry about Jordan Poole’s shooting

Jordan Poole’s big night impressed fellow rookie Eric Paschall, but it didn’t surprise him. Paschall knew it was only a matter of time before the young guard broke out.

It’s been a long time coming, but on Friday night, rookie Jordan Poole turned in a stellar individual effort. Sure, the Warriors suffered a sound defeat at the hands of the Miami Heat, but this season has long been about development, and Poole showed some signs in the loss to the Heat.

In the end, the rookie connected on five of his 10 field goal attempts, with all of his makes being from beyond the 3-point line.

The Warriors’ other rookie, Eric Paschall, couldn’t help but notice his teammate’s effort. Entering play on November 29, Poole was shooting just 27% from the field, including just 23.5% from 3-point territory.

He fared much better against Eric Spoelstra’s team.

From Paschall (via the San Francisco Chronicle):

I felt like he’s just been keeping his confidence real high. I feel like that’s one thing that we always keep want him to do is just keep shooting the ball and tonight he showed that he can still shoot. I felt like all it was was just keeping his confidence high and letting him see one go in…

Paschall has emerged as one of the most talked-about rookies in the NBA class. Aside from his individually excellent performances, Paschall was a four-year collegiate player whose age was looked upon as a negative by many NBA teams. He’s been on a mission to prove that he belongs, and to this point, he has.

He can relate to the type of night Poole had against the Heat, even though it came in a loss.

It’s always good to have a night like that. In the NBA, especially as a rookie, you gotta earn your respect. So I feel like every night just having that confidence and feeling good every night is one thing that you gotta do, especially as a rookie.

What Paschall and Poole each hope to do over the course of the season is become seasoned professionals and prove themselves worthy of earning a rotation spot on Steve Kerr’s team for years to come.

Finally, Poole may have provided some data that suggests that he may be up for the challenge.

Warriors open road trip in Miami with 122-105 loss vs. surging Heat

The talent of the Miami Heat was too much for the young Golden State Warriors, but rookie Jordan Poole was able to put together one of his best performances of his young career.

The wins haven’t been there, but over the past handful of games, the Golden State Warriors have looked like a competent team. They’ve battled wire-to-wire against teams with far better talent, but against the Miami Heat, it was a different story.

The Heat showed why they’re one of the league’s best-looking teams to start the 2019-20 season. Jimmy Butler and rookie standout, Tyler Herro, whacked the Warriors from start to finish ending in a 122-105 post-Thanksgiving beatdown.

First Quarter

This game started and virtually ended in the first quarter for the Warriors. The Heat jumped out to a 20-point lead in the opening period on 16-for-21 shooting from the floor and 6-of-8 beyond the arc.

Michigan product, Duncan Robinson, splashed four three-pointers good for 12 points in the first quarter. While Alec Burks added 10 for Golden State, the rest of the Warriors only combined for only 11 total points. Ontop of hot shooting to start the game, the Heat outrebounded Golden State 14-5 in the first quarter alone.

The Warriors played Miami fairly even in the second and third quarters. However, they could never overcome the opening punch before the Heat dropped the knockout blow in the fourth and final quarter.

Jordan Poole

The Warriors 2019 first-round draft pick, Jordan Poole, has had his early struggles widely documented, but the rookie took his step in the right direction after having one of his best shooting nights in South Beach.

Poole knocked down five three-pointers on six attempts— his best night beyond the arc in his career. Poole tied his NBA career-high with 20 points against Miami, but it wasn’t what was in the box score that was encouraging about Poole’s night.

For one of the first times in weeks, Poole looked confident on the court; he looked like he was having fun. Poole wasn’t forcing anything, using his ability to put the ball on the floor when needed, and even started throwing around a nice shot-fake. Most of Poole’s shots came in rhythm, which is something he’s struggled to find as a rookie.

Defensive Struggles

The Warriors are coming off one of their best defensive performances of the season against the Chicago Bulls, only allowing 90 total points, but in Miami, the defensive unit was a problem.

Over Golden State’s recent stretch with Draymond Green back, and the arrival of Ky Bowman, the Warriors defense has improved, but their issues containing the pick-and-roll crept back up in South Beach.

Goran Dragic came off the bench and was unstoppable, running the pick-and-roll against the Warriors limited defense. Dragic scored 20-points off the bench and dropped five dimes.

The Heat didn’t do Golden State’s hobbled defense any favors, shooting over 50 percent from the field and three-point range.

Even after a 17-point loss, there’s still a positive feeling surrounding the Warriors as they could be getting back Kevon Looney, D’Angelo Russell and Jacob Evans III at some point during the team’s current road trip.

3 takeaways from the Warriors’ four-game road trip

The Warriors only had eight healthy players for a majority of their four-game road trip and were still able to show some fight.

The Warriors lost three-of-four games on their recent road trip; however, not all hope is lost after the team turned in a handful of valiant efforts with an understaffed and inexperienced rotation.

The team played inspired basketball with only eight-healthy players after Draymond Green missed the final two games of the trip with a sore heel, pushing Golden State to have to reach deep into their already thin bench.

Injuries to Green, D’Angelo Russell and Kevon Looney has given more minutes for some of the Warriors young pieces. The youth-powered Dubs were able to battle the playoff-contending Utah Jazz, and the New Orleans Pelicans down to the wire. It was an up and down trip, with a historic loss to Dallas mixed in, but there were still some positives that stuck out.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors four-game roadie:

Ky Bowman belongs in the NBA.

Nov 22, 2019; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr speaks with Golden State Warriors guard Ky Bowman (12) during the second quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Green was initially slated to handle point guard duties with Russell out, but once the former Michigan State Spartan went down, undrafted rookie free agent, Ky Bowman had to step up— and he delivered.

Bowman played 30 minutes per game across the road trip averaging, 13.8 points, four assists and 1.8 steals per game. The Boston College product most impressively only had one turnover in that time while being the Warriors’ primary ball-handler.

Bowman is quickly burning through his 45-day two-way contract with Golden State, forcing them to make a tough decision about keeping him. The Warriors don’t have much flexibility when it comes to cap-space, but Steve Kerr has made it clear he wants to keep the undrafted rookie. Warriors general manager Bob Myers will have to get creative to give his team a chance at keeping Bowman.

Omari Spellman can shoot.

NEW ORLEANS, LA – NOVEMBER 17: Omari Spellman #4 of the Golden State Warriors handles the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans on November 17, 2019 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

Another pleasant surprise for Golden State has been the arrival of big man, Omari Spellman’s shooting. Spellman stand’s at 6-foot-8, weighing but has looked like a smooth shooting guard over the Warriors road trip. Spellman shot 56.3 percent from beyond the arc in the last four games, including 4-for-4 on the final leg of the trip against Utah.

If Spellman can continually shoot the three at his current clip, he’ll bring a role to Golden State they haven’t had since the departure of fan-favorite, Marresse Speights. Spellman’s minutes might take a hit when Looney and Green return, but he could be Kerr’s best option to stretch the floor when needed.

Jordan Poole shooting is still a problem.

Nov 20, 2019; Dallas, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole (3) sits by himself on the Golden State Warriors bench during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Rookie first-round pick, Jordan Poole has already had a rough start to his career, and his woeful shooting bled into the road trip. Poole shot a miserable 2-of-17 from three-point range on the trip, bringing his three-point percentage to 23.7.

On the back end of the road trip, Poole was able to knock down a flurry of field goals and even looked in rhythm at times, but overall his ghastly shooting has been a consistent problem.

Luckily for the Poole, the Dubs don’t have many options outside of the former Michigan Wolverine. The only solution the Warriors have when it comes to solving Poole’s shot is for him to continue to let it fly.

After a much needed weekend off, the Warriors will get two home games before heading out on the road again for another four. This time around, the Warriors should have some reinforcements to bolster their injury-riddled roster with Looney and Green returning.

 

Steve Kerr reveals who he’ll lean on in D’Angelo Russell’s absence

The Warriors are already thin due to injuries, but now with D’Angelo Russell out, they’ll have to dig deep to replace his production.

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Add D’Angelo Russell to the latest injury report that’s already full of All-Star talent.

Russell left Friday night’s game versus the Boston Celtics with a hand injury, and the next day, the Warriors announced the Kentucky native will miss at least the next two weeks with a sprained right thumb.

The injury couldn’t come at a worse time, as Russell was on a scoring heater the team needed. Before the Warriors squared off against the league-best Boston Celtics, Russell scored 20 or more points in five-straight games. In that span, he averaged 33.2 points per game with three 30-plus point games, including his first-ever 50-point effort.

Not only was Russell the Dub’s offensive initiator, but the primary ball handler with Stephen Curry out. How the Warriors replace Russell’s production over the next two weeks will be Steve Kerr’s latest challenge.

On Saturday night in New Orleans, Kerr told reporters he’d turn to Draymond Green for help with ball-handling responsibilities.

“Draymond is really good in a facilitating role, so Draymond will handle the ball quite a bit,” said the coach of the Warriors.

Over the former Defensive Player of the Year’s career, he’s been able to bring the ball up the court with success, but this time he won’t have a bevy of All-Star’s surrounding him. It’s safe to believe opponents will try to test Green when he’s tasked with being the primary ball-handler.

Green’s skillset is built for the defensive end of the floor, but an injury-riddled season is putting pressure on Green to pick it up on offense.
Kerr said the Saginaw, Michigan product won’t be the only player listed as a ball-handler.

“Draymond will play a lot of point and Ky will have the ball in his hands quite a bit,” said Kerr.

If Warriors fans are looking to take away a positive from early in the season, it’s the Boston College product, Ky Bowman. The two-way guard will now be entrusted to take over point guard responsibilities with Russell out.

The undrafted rookie has been a pleasant surprise since training camp and he will now get the opportunity to play big minutes due to the Warriors’ lack of guards.

Bowman isn’t letting the probable increase in playing time phase him, though.

“I just go out there and play my role,” Bowman said to reporters Saturday. “If that’s scoring, if that’s defense, just play my role. At the end of the day, it’s whatever they need.”

The Warriors can try to band-aid their need for a ball-handler, but there’s still the massive hole in scoring production with Russell out.

Alec Burks is a player highlighted to step up in Russell’s absence. He led the Warriors in points versus Boston, before that he’s posted scoring clips of 28, 23 and 18 on the season. Burks has been a steady slashing forward over his career, but the Warriors now need to depend on Burks to fill the stat sheet up.

The wildcard scoring option is struggling rookie Jordan Poole, who has a pretty shot but hasn’t seen it go in much this season. If the rookie is going to figure out the pro game, now would be a good time to start. Poole will need to mimic his college form where he recorded several 20-plus point performances as a Michigan Wolverine. Through the first 13 games of his NBA career, the struggling rookie is connecting on just 27.3 percent of his shots.

No matter what lineup Kerr and company can craft, it’ll be hard to replace the production of a former All-Star like Russell.

While they try, it’ll be a good opportunity to see what the Warriors have in players like Burks, Bowman, and Poole.

Steve Kerr raves about new ‘excellent’ defensive-minded starting unit

The Warriors nearly scored a major upset over the NBA-leading Boston Celtics thanks in part to a new starting lineup on Friday night.

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While it wasn’t a win the Golden State Warriors, Steve Kerr likes what he saw from the team in Friday night’s 105-100 loss to the Boston Celtics.

In particular, the level of effort from a team riddled with injuries to critical players—now including All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell, who exited the game in the third quarter with a sprained thumb after logging 12 points and seven assists—was promising.

The home crowd was engaged as a result, with the game within a possession or two for much of the contest.

“Warriors fans have always appreciated high-energy, hustle, toughness and competition,” said Kerr (via Let’sGoWarriors). “You could feel it in the building tonight. Our fans really enjoyed watching our guys compete and that’s important.”

“We want people to come into this building and be excited about our team and it’s been a rough start, but I think if we can compete that way and play that way we are going to win some games and our fans will enjoy what we are doing,” the coach offered, alluding to the difficulty of putting posteriors in the seats of the team’s new arena with so many marquee players riding pine while recuperating.

Kerr tinkered with the lineup in the hopes of finding some traction after dropping the previous five games, going with a more defensively-oriented approach. Rookie standout, Eric Paschall entered the lineup to play next to Draymond Green.

“We just wanted to take a different look,” explained the coach. Struggling rookie, Jordan Poole, who started the previous eight games was sent to the bench as a result.

“We had lost five games in a row and we wanted just to see Eric [Paschall] and Draymond [Green] play together. We like the physicality that brought to our defense and so we had a more physical front line with both Eric and Draymond and Willie [Cauley-Stein].”

“We give up a little something in spacing, but we pick up something defensively and we get a look at,” he continued, noting a shift away from the offensive onslaught the team has depended on so long in the absence of effective shooters.

A move to rely more on defense to keep the team close against superior scoring teams (Golden State currently is in 17th place for points scored per game in the league) nearly paid off against the league-leading Celtics, and should provide dividends against lesser opponents.

“I thought the defense was excellent, we didn’t turn the ball over for the first nine minutes or so and we executed offensively”, noted Kerr. “The game is so connected, when we were taking care of the ball our defense was great.”

“As soon as we started turning it over the defense struggled and it’s no coincidence,” he explained, referring to the Dubs issues finding their defensive footing when reacting to the team’s many second-half turnovers, including a few key late ones.

“It’s hard to guard a fast-break when you’re just not in position, so the turnovers shifted the tide of the game but I was really proud of the way the guys fought back and took the lead, and the hung in there and we had a chance.”

“We just couldn’t get it done,” he added.

On to the next one.

Klay Thompson believes Paschall and Poole are ‘foundational pieces’

Klay Thompson spoke with ESPN on Wednesday night. He likes what he sees from both of Jordan Poole and Eric Paschall, two of the newest Golden State Warriors.

The Golden State Warriors’ 120-94 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers was a bore. Against the shorthanded Warriors, the Lakers showed why they are NBA Finals favorites. Golden State, meanwhile, showed why they are currently the NBA’s worst defense.

The bright spot in the Warriors’ blowout defeat came in the fourth quarter when a familiar face was pulled aside for an interview. Klay Thompson joined ESPN’s Jorge Sedano to discuss how he’s handling watching the Warriors from the sideline during his ACL rehab.

Thompson spoke about how “tedious” the rehab process has been, but his tune changed when he talked about the Warriors rookies, stating:

I’ve enjoyed watching these young guys develop, that’s for sure. Eric Paschall and Jordan Poole, their first year, I’m liking what I’m seeing because they have tremendous potential.

In a down year, Paschall has been one of the Warriors’ best players. He had the highlight of the night: finishing a layup on LeBron James. The rookie finished with 15 points in 32 minutes.

Poole has struggled at times, but his confidence in his shooting provides hope. The rookie knocked down three triples against the Lakers, and both he and Paschall have shown glimpses of potential. With the Warriors not expecting to compete for a playoff berth, there will be more opportunities for Paschall and Poole to display their skills.

“These guys are going to foundational pieces for years to come,” Thompson said.

That’s high praise from one of the league’s best players. Thompson’s willingness to compliment the young guys during a rough game demonstrates his leadership, as well as his hopes for the future.

Although both Stephen Curry and Thompson are injured, their fingerprints are still all over this roster. Having future Hall of Famers like Thompson in their corner should boost the rookies.

Before Thompson’s interview with Sedano ended, he provided a glass-half-full outlook for the rest of the Warriors’ season, stating:

We’re out here missing five key guys. It’s a struggle but we’ll persevere.

At 2-10, Golden State can only hope things do, in fact improve, and hopefully, before next season.

After 11 games, it’s obvious Jordan Poole still has a long way to go

Rookie Jordan Poole hasn’t exactly been lighting it up over the Warriors’ first 11 games of the season.

After injuries and departures in free agency changed the 2019-20 outlook for the Warriors, the focus shifted to getting younger. The need for youth and lack of depth put them in a unique position where they needed young players that could contribute immediately.

For the first time in years, the NBA draft became important.

When Golden State was on the clock in the first round they selected guard Jordan Poole from the University of Michigan, a pick that came as somewhat of a surprise to many. Draft experts pegged Poole as a second-round pick.

Regardless of his pre-draft evaluation, when Poole’s name was called, he became a figurehead to the Warriors’ future.

With more injuries to start the season, Poole was thrust into a featured role in Steve Kerr’s offense and thus far, it hasn’t been pretty. The Warriors have struggled to start the season and Poole is in the middle of all of it.

Poole’s best trait is his shooting, but he hasn’t found any rhythm in the NBA game. Poole is shooting 28.4 percent from the field and 28.8 percent from beyond the arc. Poole has launched double-digit field goals in seven of 11 games this season, and during the Warriors’ recent four-game skid, Poole has shot 4-for-19 from three.

It goes beyond the numbers: Poole often looks lost on the court and his shot selection has been a problem.

On the season, he had converted just 33 of his 116 field goal attempts.

The rookie looks like he could use a stint in the G League to reset, but the Warriors are so thin across their roster they need Poole to continue to play minutes.

Poole’s confidence might be his best skill at the moment. If he’s benched or sent to the G League at any point, his confidence could be compromised. That’s something Steve Kerr will need to consider.

Right now, the best option for him and the Warriors is to keep shooting. Beyond Poole, the Warriors don’t have many options, especially with Damion Lee out for at least the next two weeks with a right hand fracture.

The Warriors are in a development year. Poole is still only 20 years old. No matter how bad he’s been, the Warriors’ best option is to ride out this slump with him.

It’s going to take time for the rookie to develop and time is something the Warriors can afford. Poole’s development should become a top priority for the Warriors going forward, and his work with Kerr, Mike Brown and Ron Adams will be something to watch as the season progresses.

“He’s gotta be a step quicker, and that will all come,” Kerr said of Poole to reporters last week. “He’s going through the normal trials and tribulations of a rookie, but we’re throwing him into the fire because of all the injuries.”

Even still, Kerr acknowledged that, perhaps due to his confidence, the rookie hasn’t exactly been taking high percentage shots.

“He’s taken some tough shots, I’m not gonna get on him too much about the shots, I want guys to feel confident,” he said.

The reality of the situation is that this is an evaluation year for Poole. If he can use his rookie year to establish himself as a scorer off the bench for next season, that’s a win for the Warriors.

But through 11 games, it’s obvious that he’s got a long way to go.