During a strong road win over the San Antonio Spurs, Jordan Poole ended up featuring in a lowlight while scrapping with Deni Avdija, who came to the same corner as Poole for a corner three-point opportunity. Poole tried pushing Avdija away from the spot but was forced to take the ball at the top of the key and miss a contested mid-range jump shot.
[Highlight] Poole battles his own teammate for the corner 3
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Poole tried his best to hustle Avdija away from the corner, but the Israeli forward pretty emphatically rejected the rotation. The pair have had contentious moments on the court before as well, with Poole failing to spot Avdija for open passes when they materialize.
Under new interim head coach Brian Keefe, the Wizards have shown a tendency to move the ball more and use various offensive actions to find scoring opportunities. Poole has been more willing to rotate to the corner and not control possessions on-ball under Keefe. This new system has worked in their last two games, as the Wizards are on a two-game win streak with wins over the Pistons and Spurs.
Wins over the worst teams in the NBA aren’t often celebrated, but the Wizards aren’t too far off in terms of their lack of success this year. Winning games like this could be the launch point of a stronger end to this season for the rebuilding Wizards.
Jordan Poole Still Isn’t Fitting With The Wizards
Too many experts and analysts expected Jordan Poole to have a James Harden-esque breakout season with the Wizards this year. Instead, Poole got more opportunity in Washington and has seen his overall numbers dip compared to his final year with the Golden State Warriors. Poole averaged 20.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists last season in Golden State and is averaging 16.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists this season in Washington.
Poole’s long-term contract and selfish on-court play will make him nearly impossible to trade right now for Washington, but the franchise has the time to let him rebuild his value and possibly move him later. Poole has shown he can succeed within a winning framework if he has a defined role.
He’s looked better in Washington over the last week, presumably because of new interim coach Brian Keefe giving him a more defined role within the offense. But it’s become clear that Poole is not the best player on the team, with Kyle Kuzma emphatically taking that role. Poole isn’t even the most valued guard on the team, with win-now franchises looking to acquire Tyus Jones from Washington.
Poole has fallen a lot in one season, going from a possible future superstar to one of the worst contracts in the NBA. He has time to find his value again, but it seems like this season with the Wizards will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
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