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The Golden State Warriors Jordan Poole has been having a tough 2022-23 playoffs. Most fans thought that he would bounce back after a poor showing against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Poole hasn’t only not bounced back, he seems to have struggled even more. Kerith Burke had this to report inside the Warriors’ locker room:
“The Warriors’ PR was coming over and said, ‘Jordan, could you please talk postgame? He seemed a little reluctant. You could tell that he was very frustrated. … He turned his music off for us. … When that music went off, all of the other players were listening as well.
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“You could see Andrew Wiggins, there was Looney nearby. GP II (Payton) came to the locker room. All eyes and ears were on Jordan right there and it just heightened the tension.”
Poole is averaging just 10.5 points, 3.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 11 playoff games. Poole is shooting 34.2%, including 27.8% from behind the arc. He put up 20.4 PPG, on 43.0%/33.6% split, 4.5 APG and 2.7 RPG in 82 regular-season games.
Burke added:
“He has acknowledged that this has not been a great series for him, maybe not even a good postseason for him. Something has happened to his shot. It’s just not there. … Why is he struggling now? Why is he a little uncomfortable?
"Some of the things he said and some pretty short answers, ‘My shot. I don’t know. If I knew I would tell you.’ He didn’t wanna talk about himself.
"‘My work ethic doesn’t change. My routine doesn’t change. Maybe opportunity changes but you can only control what you can control.’ The frustration [is] very clear coming through from Jordan Poole."
In Game 4 against the LA Lakers, Jordan Poole tallied three rebounds, two assists and two turnovers. He missed all four of his shots, including two three-pointers. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr only played him for 10 minutes.
The Golden State Warriors need Jordan Poole to step up
After Jordan Poole’s solid play in the playoffs last year, the Golden State Warriors signed him to a four-year $128 million rookie extension. The Bay Area team was so enamored with his potential that they decided to extend him despite its already massive payroll.
More than ever, the Warriors need him to step up and show that he was worth the big-time money they spent on him. Golden State is now down 1-3 in their series against the LA Lakers. Steph Curry has been superb, but he needs all hands on deck.
Jordan Poole’s shooting, ball handling and shotmaking have almost completely disappeared against LeBron James and co. The Warriors need the brash combo guard to emerge once again and help the team rally in the series.
Notably, Steph Curry defended Poole from criticism, hoping that the once prolific guard will jump out of his slump:
"You have questions about him a lot and it's our whole team. We're together in the sense that we're trying to figure out how to win playoff games. We all have to make adjustments, we all have to play better considering we're in a 3-1 hole. There's no sense in isolating him [Poole] in this situation."
The Golden State Warriors need Jordan Poole to step up starting with Game 5 on Wednesday, where the defending champions' season is on the line.
