Jordan Poole questions “common sense” behind his move to bench unit: "I’m just going to come out, do what I can do to help the team, keep it moving"

It doesn’t take much for an NBA player’s career to go downhill and Jordan Poole is the latest example of it. Poole was touted as Steph Curry’s successor for the Golden State Warriors after a breakthrough regular season in 2021-22. His playoff numbers of 17.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 22 games only added to the narrative.

After that came the post-championship celebrations, and then out of the blue an offseason to forget for Poole and the Warriors. In what has since become an infamous NBA moment, Draymond Green punched Jordan Poole during a scrimmage in the buildup to the 2022-23 season.

Green was suspended from team activities, while Poole was awarded a four-year, $128 million extension.

After a tumultuous 2022-23 season for the Warriors, Poole was traded to the Wizards in the summer of 2023 before the extension even kicked in. He formed a new duo with Kyle Kuzma and Washington fans were hoping for an exciting rebuild with two of the flashiest players at its helm.

Fast forward to February 2024 and the Wizards have the second-worst record in the league at 9-46. While not all of it is on Poole, the fifth-year guard was moved out of the starting lineup for the first time this season on Thursday by Washington coach Brian Keefe.

A visibly frustrated Jordan Poole spoke to Washington Post’s Ava Wallace after the game. Poole said:

"If there’s any common sense, with the situation, you should know how I feel. But I’m just going to come out, do what I can do to help the team, keep it moving."

Poole added:

"I mean, if this is a way to try to get me on ball, I guess that’s just what we have to do. … I can't do anything but control what I can control."

Poole put up 18 points off the bench as the Wizards lost 130-110 to the Denver Nuggets.

Was Jordan Poole’s move to the bench warranted?

Whenever a player is moved to the bench, it’s a grey area for discussion with contrasting pros and cons. While it’s not always possible to give a definite answer, the Washington Wizards needed to do something new after the All-Star break. Jordan Poole’s starting spot just happened to be a casualty of what could prove to be the first of many changes.

The Wizards already moved Wes Unseld Jr. to a front office role after a tough start to the season as Washington’s coach. As the Wizards are in the middle of a nine-game losing streak, more changes are definitely coming.

Jordan Poole has played in 53 games so far, including 52 as a starter. In those games, he averages 15.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists on 39.6% shooting, including 30.4% from the 3-point line and 85.4% from the free-throw line. All the numbers are his lowest since the 2020-21 season.

Thus, if forced to answer if Poole’s move to the bench was warranted, the answer has to be a yes until the guard proves otherwise.