"I’m an All-Star" - Wizards’ Jordan Poole makes feelings clear on NBA All-Star hopes, 3-point contest, and breakout season (Exclusive)

When NBA coaches cast their vote for All-Star reserves, they often wrestle with this question - should they reward players for having break-out seasons, or prioritize players on winning teams?

In his second season with the Washington Wizards and sixth NBA season overall, Jordan Poole appears on pace to finish with career-highs in points per game (21.4), 3-point shooting (40.2%) and assists per game (4.7). Yet, the Wizards (6-36) enter Thursday’s game against the LA Clippers (24-19) with the Eastern Conference’s worst record.

“I definitely think that I’m an All-Star,” Poole said. “I play at an All-Star level. A lot of it can be political and situational. But performance wise, I think that I’m an All-Star.”

Poole technically hasn’t contributed to winning basketball. Yet, the Wizards credit Poole for contributing to winning habits.

After the Golden State Warriors dealt Poole to Washington in the 2023 offseason to reduce salary cap penalties and acquire veteran point guard Chris Paul, Poole initially struggled with adapting to the different circumstances. Not only did the Wizards experience more persistent losing than when Poole won an NBA title with Golden State (2022) and made a second-round playoff appearance (2023).

He also struggled to adapt to different roles as a starter and reserve. This time, the Wizards have become more encouraged by his consistent play and empowering leadership style.

“I just wanted him to be the lead initiator and play what he was capable of doing,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “He had a really good finish last year, and then he had a terrific offseason. As everybody who knows and who has been around Jordan Poole knows, this is a terrific worker, He’s someone who really cares about the craft and is working on his game and his body. And we wanted him to be aggressive. That’s the biggest thing that I’ve wanted him to do, and he’s done that. He’s been aggressive for himself, but also for others.”

Poole spoke to Sportskeeda about his breakout season, what he learned from last season’s adjustments, and how Stephen Curry and other former University of Michigan and Warriors teammates influenced his leadership style.

Poole also made his case for why he should participate in NBA All-Star weekend at Chase Center in San Francisco in the 3-point contest (Feb. 15) and the All-Star game itself (Feb. 16).

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and posted.

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Jordan Poole Exclusive

NBA: Washington Wizards at Golden State Warriors - Source: Imagn

What do you think are the reasons for your different career-highs this season?

Poole: “I think the best word and best way to describe it is just that I’m more ‘settled.’ People use the word ‘comfortable’ a lot. But I think being more settled and more settled into the city and being settled with the organization and being settled with the coaches and coaching staff makes it a lot more fluid for me to play my game. I think we’re all on the same page, too, in terms of the best way to not only unlock me, but the best ways to unlock our team and our younger guys. So I would say I’m more settled right now.”

What do you think are the best ways to unlock your game and everyone else’s?

Poole: “For me personally, it’s just being on ball and using my speed, my aggressiveness, the way I can shoot the ball and the way I can get my other guys looks and put them in easy positions. I attract so much gravity that they’ll send two [defenders] or they’ll double me. We got guys on our team right now who play the right way and who know how to play the right basketball. So when they send two [defenders], that means it’s an advantage for somebody else. There’s an open guy over there. So I just have to find ways to get it to them, whether it’s in the pick-and-roll or getting somebody like Kyshawn. [George], our shooters or Corey [Kispert] some easy looks. I try to get them going because I know later in the game I need them to make shots and I need them to have confidence to ease up into it throughout the course of the game. We’re kind of figuring that out through the course of the season.”

I also read you said you have a better comfort level on knowing when to take calculated risks. What does that entail?

Poole: “I think that comes up having such a big responsibility with the ball and knowing that I have the ball a lot of the time and knowing that I’ll be a guy that’s making plays for my teammates and picking and choosing when to be aggressive and when to get other guys looks. That’s a fun challenge to go through and learn the process. I feel like it’s been really helpful throughout the season.”

How do you decide when to do which?

Poole: “You look at time. You look at score. You look at possessions of the shot clock. You look at who’s got it going, what mismatches we feel like we can point out throughout the course of the game. It’s more so game management than anything. I feel like I’ve been able to unlock that a little bit with being back to being a one and being on a new team where there’s more of a responsibility that’s taking place.”

What do you think you learned last season by adjusting to a new environment with the team’s losses and a different role with starting and then coming off the bench?

Poole: “I had a saying that it’s hard to be consistent in an inconsistent role. This year, it’s been pretty consistent. I’ve been in the same role and at the same position. I’m getting a lot of the same minutes throughout the course of the season. So I know what to expect, what rhythm to get into and what to look for and how much time I need to do for what. So it was just the consistency of being in the role and doing the same thing over and over and over again. I feel like it’s helping our team, too.”

How do you put the team’s struggles and results in perspective?

Poole: “We’re clear in where we are and what process we’re going through right now. We’re rebuilding. We have a really good opportunity to show our young guys and give them experience to play out on the court in real-time. This just comes with it. Of course, we want to speed up the process. We want to speed it up as fast as we can. But good things like this take time. It’s good because in a couple of years our young guys will have a faster trajectory than anybody that normally would.”

What do you think that trajectory is?

Poole: “Whenever you can get live reps, game reps, it speeds it up as opposed to coming off the bench or only getting practice reps. Our young guys are in the game and they’re in the crucial moments. They’re playing against a lot of these young guys. For them to be able to see it, it’ll speed up their process throughout the course of their career.”

What things leave you encouraged with the big-picture direction despite the results so far?

Poole: “Our team has guys who love to play basketball. We have guys who want to win. And we have guys who want to play the right way. They work hard. They’re genuine and authentic people. So it’s easy to play with guys like that because you know you have the same kind of goal. It’s good when you build the foundation with young guys and they’re coming in because this will be the group for the next three or four years. When you can start with guys that care like that, it makes it a lot easier.”

As someone who has been traded before, have you given much feedback to the group on the upcoming trade deadline [on Feb. 6] and how to manage that?

Poole: “I’ve had so many different teammates throughout the course of my career. I feel like the trade deadline is what it is. You try to be where your feet are. You try to perform the best you can and put yourself in a position to be successful. You have to play it by ear. Whatever decisions they make, they make. And then you ride the wave.”

Brian said that you’ve done a good job with your leadership by giving guys confidence through both ups and downs. Where did you learn that approach?

Poole: “Just learning over the course of my career. I’ve always been a younger player, whether it’s in college or the league. I’m trying to take bits and pieces from people that I admire and things that I think work. And then kind of applying them when needed.”

Who are the people you’ve admired?

Poole: “When I was at Michigan, it was the older guys like Moe Wagner, Duncan Robinson and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman. Then we had Steph [Curry], Andre [Iguodala] and Shaun Livingston was there a little bit [in Golden State]. There were a lot of older guys that I had seen and that had played at the highest level. When I got to the league, I was asking questions and asking the right questions. Then I was applying things that I learned to a young team when I think we need it.”

What are the qualities those players all had that you wanted to implement?

Poole: “Authenticity, patience and knowing that things take time. Then there is the consistency with working and sticking with it. It’s a long season and it’s a long career. There will be highs. There will be lows. But it’s just about getting lost in the work. You’re continuing to rely on your routine and the things that you work on. We care so much about this, and it’s a tough level to play at. Being at the highest level, you got to find ways to continue to get better.”

Brian mentioned that your summer consisted of a lot of work with working on your game and working on your body. Can you catch me up to speed on what all of that entailed?

Poole: “We were just grinding. We got a little bit longer of an offseason now. Sometimes it’s tough to make the playoffs, so I was just trying to take advantage of it. I was getting stronger. I was finding ways to work on my body. With skills, there were things I felt I needed to improve on from the season before and things that I think we may need as a team going into the next season. I’m always analyzing and trying to find a way to get better in any aspect throughout the course of my career.”

What were the things you wanted to improve this summer?

Poole: “You’re always trying to get stronger and reading the game. This year, I knew I probably wouldn’t be in a position where I’d get a lot of easy looks or a lot of catch-and-shoots like I would in Golden State. So I’m having to drill how to make tougher shots. I have to be in condition I have to be in elite condition because I’m getting blitzed and double teamed, and I’m seeing a lot of different coverages. So I’m finding ways to continually be in good enough shape to withstand that all game and withstand that all season.”

Did I also read correctly that you hosted some things in LA with the guys?

Poole: “Oh yeah. The team came out in LA for a little bit for a couple of days just to work out a little bit together, gain some chemistry and just chill. A lot of guys work out on their own. So it was about coming together for a couple of days, check up on guys and see how they’re doing.”

What significance did that have?

Poole: “For the young guys, you get to see them right after they get drafted, build their chemistry and go to dinner. It’s more laid back, and it’s more so about being in relationships knowing it’s going to be a long season. It’s about getting up and down and playing and getting some conditioning. But it’s more so laid back and not as strenuous. It was a good way to build our chemistry and camaraderie as a team. We want guys to be competitive. But we also want guys to have fun and enjoy the offseason as best you can because the season is really long.”

Did I also read correctly that you studied a lot of Steph and Dame specifically this summer?

Poole: “I’ve always watched Steph. I always watched Dame coming into the league. And using their play type and their play styles with being able to put the ball on the floor and being able to create space. And being able to have gravity, draw two [defenders] and also be able to make the right play. It’s tougher for me to get a lot of catch-and-shoots because of the makeup of our team right now and the gravity that I get. So I have to consistently knock down tough shots over and over. I try to give our team a chance to win. It’s not easy. But it’s the stuff that you work on and you got to continue to keep doing it.”

What were those battles like against Steph and Dame this season?

Poole: “I love it. Those are my two favorite players. Having duels with those guys is a dream come true. Living up to the moment, I see how they handle how they take their competitiveness. I’m asking them questions sometimes, but I’m also accepting that matchup. I’m really embracing it and being in the moment with stuff like that because these guys are getting older and I’ve been watching them for so long. It’s really cool to share the court with them.”

How do you view your chances to be an All-Star?

Poole: “I definitely think that I’m an All-Star. I play at an All-Star level. A lot of it can be political and situational. But performance-wise, I think that I’m an All-Star. I’m doing the best that I can to try to make that case. Hopefully at some point, pretty soon, it can come around.”

What do you mean by political?

Poole: “There’s situations and teams. After being on teams that are higher up in the standings or teams that have better records, teams are sending multiple guys throughout the history of the NBA [All-Star game]. But I think I have a chance. I think I put myself in a really good position with having a career year. But you know you have to get voted in.”

I presumed you were referring to the low-hanging fruit reason with voters and coaches factoring in a team’s win-loss record. But when you look at your body of work this season, why do you think that supersedes the team’s overall struggles?

Poole: “I’m having a career year in a lot of categories. I feel like something that really stands out is what I’m doing in 30 minutes, 29 minutes. A lot of guys in my position are getting 36, 37 minutes. So they’re out there for a longer period of time. With playing the way that I have been, I feel that my per 36 [minutes production] really shows that. I know we got a lot of young guys, and so we want to get them out on the court and give them experience. We give them a lot of minutes there. But my body of work and the difficulty of shots that I have to make and coverages that I’m seeing, I’m just doing it consistently over the course of the season. I feel like it’s been at a high level. Doing it in 30 minutes or less time, I feel like that’s a significant help. I feel like I’ve showed a pretty good body of work to see if I can at least get a look at it.”

What about the 3-point contest?

Poole: “I definitely should be in the 3-point contest. I’m shooting 40% on really tough and difficult shots at an elite level. I see that I’m up there with some elite shooters in that category. I’m shooting 40% [from 3] on nine attempts [per game]. So that’s pretty cool.”

Have you gotten any word on if there’s interest in you being part of the 3-point contest?

Poole: “Personally, no. But I think we’re trying. Statistically, it would make sense. For the storyline, it would make sense. I’m going back to Chase [Center]. I played for Golden State. At least with the 3-point contest, Steph can be in it and Klay [Thompson] can be in it. The whole third ‘Splash Brother’ would be there. It would be unreal.”

What do you think that would be like if it happens?

Poole: “I think it would be dope. The guys are getting older in their career, and they’ll be on their way out soon. We used to have shooting competitions all the time in practice. So to have this on the biggest stage back where I used to play, where Klay used to play and where Steph plays, I think it would be a pretty cool event.”

What were the results of your shooting competitions in practice?

Poole: “It was mixed. I win sometimes. Steph wins sometimes. Klay wins sometimes. It just depends on who had what.”

What do you remember of how the play-by-play went down when you won?

Poole: “Nah, we were just really competitive with a lot of shooting drills. We were really trying to put ourselves in a situation to challenge each other. It definitely was competitive and it made us better shooters.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.