Jordan Poole amazed fans who tuned into the Wizards vs. Knicks preseason game, dropping 41 points to show what he can do with a green light in Washington. However, to get those points, Poole may have taken shots when teammates were wide open. This happened with Deni Avdija, and the Israeli forward was not happy about being ignored.
Deni Advija could care less that Jordan Poole is setting the Knicks on fire. Poole isn't thinking about giving the ball up & Deni is already over it Trey ball went in and Advija is sick to his stomach. Real damn tears 🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂. pic.twitter.com/DPsr55BKM3
— TJ (@TraMurr) October 19, 2023
Avdija likely needs to reset expectations. Poole looked off Stephen Curry, who was wide open at various points in the playoffs to take contested jumpers that he missed. On a night where he had 29 points at the half, there was no way Poole was passing out of his hot hand to a 29.7% shooter like Avdija.
Given the Wizards are headed into full tank mode, a lot of the young players like Avdija will be hoping to get bigger roles as well. But if Avdija has to make do with a point guard who is more focused on getting buckets and not involving his teammates, he may not be pleased about it in a contract year.
Jordan Poole In Washington Was Compared To James Harden In Houston By Kevin Garnett
James Harden left a winning situation in Oklahoma City to graduate from being the sixth man to running his own team. He did that in Houston, becoming a perennial MVP candidate and one of the greatest scorers the league has seen. Kevin Garnett believes that Poole leaving the Warriors for the Wizards will lead to similar growth.
“Jordan Poole is the new James Harden… I look for Jordan Poole to be top 5 in scoring this year and if he don’t shoot more than 25 balls, I’ll be shocked. And if don’t have not one but a couple 60 balls this year, I’ll be shocked.”
Poole averaged 20.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists last season and was a big contributor for the Warriors until he fell apart in the playoffs. Even if he wasn’t thrilled about being sent to Washington a season after winning a title, he has Kyle Kuzma to share the pain who went through the exact same thing with the Lakers.
Realistic Expectation For The Wizards This Season
If there’s a team people are quick to declare as the worst team in the NBA next season, it’s the Washington Wizards. They have a curious cast of players with no clear direction. They have one of the best backup point guards in the NBA, Tyus Jones, but he’ll either start alongside Poole or be the sixth man on a team that isn’t very good. Or are they?
Poole and Kuzma are a fun duo, even if their ceiling is far lower than many of the contending duos. With ascending talents like Avdija, Bilal Coulibaly, and more, the Wizards could be a tough out every night. Will they push for the postseason? Highly unlikely. But to paint them as an easy win every night is not necessarily true.
The team is in a position to continue blowing their lineup up for valuable future assets. Kuzma may not be long for Washington and could be the difference-making trade piece for many contenders around the NBA. Similarly, Tyus Jones has proven his value on a contending team before and could be easily flipped into additional assets.
Poole is more of a long-term project. The star guard is going to put up some incredible numbers in Washington and give the local fanbase a reason to buy tickets. We can’t forget he ended up in Washington as essentially a salary dump, so the Wizards will wait to see what Poole can end up being. If he proves he can be in the same class as Harden, the Wizards have their franchise cornerstone. Otherwise, it may be a piece they move on from two years down the line with a cleared plan in mind.
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