Jordan Poole is on everyone’s lips with his playoff performances and makes the Golden State Warriors look more dangerous than they have in a long time. However, the shooting star’s burst of performance also has its downsides.
For all NBA players, the first game of the playoffs is something very special and associated with a lot of emotion. Stephen Curry can say a thing or two, scoring just 19 points at 7/20 on the field in his first-round debut against the Nuggets in 2013. That doesn’t seem to be the case for his protégé Jordan Poole, however.
The 22-year-old just scored 30 points in Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets at 9/13 field and 5/7 center, only to go to 29 points two days later, again with over 60% of field to leave. . And that’s in his first two appearances on the big stage of the playoffs.
That placed him third among the Warriors’ all-time best postseason debuts, and his 59 points in his first two playoff games were only surpassed by the legendary Wilt Chamberlain (63). But to top it off, he didn’t even surprise anyone in particular.
Jordan Poole: Hard work pays off
“We didn’t expect anything less from him,” his coach Steve Kerr said unimpressed after Game 1. “He’s not afraid of the big moments. He works every day to prepare for it.” This relentless effort to improve his game is what prompted Klay Thompson to take Poole under his wing since his rookie season.
“A lot of guys come to the NBA and they’re happy about it, but Jordan was in the gym from day one. After training, at night, after a bad game – he stuck with it,” praised his young teammate Thompson, that also Promotion to the G-League did not let him down in his rookie season.
“He went to the G-League and got better. He’s so hungry,” Thompson said. For Poole, therefore, he sees a promising future in the association: “He has always had talent. He has good ball handling, a good shot, but his work ethic will one day make him a star.”
In addition to his work ethic and talent, Poole’s mindset is also right. Playing alongside two of the best pitchers of all time and three-time champions, he took every opportunity to get whatever information he could on the ins and outs of the playoffs to be as prepared as possible for the big moment.
“He did everything to prepare for this moment. Once you overcome this mental obstacle, you will be able to play much more freely”, praised Curry, also his protege.
Jordan Poole: Performance explosion is no coincidence
It is important to remember that Poole’s explosion in the playoffs is just a continuation of his excellent performances in recent months. With Curry absent through injury and the Warriors in danger of dropping into third after seven losses in eight games, Poole was at his best and saved his team’s third-best tally of 25.8 points in his last 12 games.
In any case, since the interval of the stars, the guard can hardly be stopped. In the final weeks of the regular season, he averaged 23.4 points and hit more than 40% downtown. He was not deterred by his transfer to second guard upon Thompson’s return. On reduced minutes, he continued to produce at a consistently high level and seemed to adapt effortlessly to his new role as leader of the bench players.
The young man particularly flourished in the minutes together with Curry. The two-man lineup that includes the executive chef was the Warriors’ second-best player with at least 500 minutes (+15.2 net rating) during the regular season. Along with Klay, the rating reached an absurd +32.6 in 129 minutes together.
This trend is also confirmed in the playoffs, in the 15 minutes together with the trio the Warriors are at +57.7, which means second place in the league. Poole’s playstyle strongly resembles the MVP twice. He can shoot from anywhere, has a strong draw to the basket, good passing qualities and constantly confuses opponents with off-the-ball moves.
“Jordan does things like Steph and that’s hard. He’s copied a lot of Steph and emulates him as best he can and that’s amazing,” Draymond Green said recently. Thompson even referred to him as “Baby Steph Curry” after Game 1.
Jordan Poole Stats
| Time course | games | minutes | Spots | assists | rebounds | FG% | 3P% |
| Before the All Star Break | 53 | 28.8 | 16.4 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 43.8 | 33.8 |
| After All Star Break | 23 | 32.8 | 23.4 | 5.2 | 4.1 | 46.5 | 40.8 |
| decisive games | two | 31:9 | 29.5 | 5.5 | 3.0 | 65.5 | 58.8 |