Jordan Poole was expected to be tearing up the league after he signed his massive extension in the offseason. The Golden State Warriors have identified Poole as their next star after the current core retires, and he came into the season with those expectations. And while it’s understandable that he has struggled to live up to that, he will much likely not be allowed to get away with it for too long.
Jordan Poole has received criticism from Steve Kerr, among others, his play has not been up to scratch in recent times, and an element of regression has crept into his game. Poole is averaging nearly 2 points less per game, and his efficiency numbers are down significantly from last season as well. And while some of this is what he has to improve, it’s partly also thanks to the defensive attention he’s been getting.
Jordan Poole Compared The Way Teams Defend Him To The Way They Defend Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry needs to be guarded as soon as he walks into the parking lot at an arena. The Golden State Warriors superstar is simply unstoppable if not guarded properly, and teams regularly sell out to stop him. And with Poole now leading the bench unit, the coverages that Curry sees are also being thrown his way. At least, that’s what he explained to The Athletic in an interview.
Jordan Poole says teams are guarding him like Steph Curry
“How people are guarding Steph in the first unit is how they’re guarding me in the second unit. When we’re not on the court together, I get the same coverage as he gets.”
(Via The Athletic) pic.twitter.com/xezikNioL7
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 5, 2022
“How people are guarding Steph in the first unit is how they’re guarding me in the second unit. When we’re not on the court together, I get the same coverage as he gets.”
While it’s true that teams are now a lot warier of Jordan Poole than they were before, comparing it to Stephen Curry is a bit absurd. Curry’s range is limitless, and he is a former MVP and Finals MVP, the level of respect he gets from defenses borders on the absurd. For Poole to compare himself to that, especially while playing bench units, does feel like a bit of an excuse.
The NBA is a cutthroat environment, the only choices have always been to sink or to swim. Jordan Poole is as talented a player as any of the league’s most promising players, but he needs to show that he can do it when defenses are focused solely on him. There’s no reason to believe that he can’t do this, and Poole will hopefully only learn from this experience.
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