It’s safe to say Warriors guard Jordan Poole fell short of expectations during the 2022-23 NBA season.I
After his breakout 2021-22 campaign that included a historic playoff debut, Poole struggled to find his shot at times this season and failed to make much of an impact in the postseason.
But despite the increased attention and scrutiny Poole faced due to his up-and-down performance — as well as his preseason altercation with teammate Draymond Green — Warriors superstar Steph Curry believes the franchise’s future is in Poole’s hands.
Curry recently made that clear to The Ringer’s Logan Murdock, who asked the two-time NBA MVP how Golden State can bridge the gap between the team’s current core and its uncertain future.
“He’s the key,” Curry told Murdock after Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals, pointing to Poole’s locker. Murdock wrote that the Warriors guard said it loud enough “for all to hear.”
It’s a strong statement from Curry, especially given the reported state of the Warriors’ two-timeline approach. Murdock relayed exactly how divided things were this season in his reporting.
“This season, however, when veterans struggled, Golden State’s young players grumbled that they weren’t getting enough opportunities,” Murdock wrote. “And when the young’uns complained about inconsistent playing time, veterans scratched their heads, wondering why their tales of yesteryear weren’t resonating. The departures of [Otto] Porter [Jr.], [Juan] Toscano-Anderson, and [Gary] Payton [II] — three figures in the locker room who had the respect of both the young players and the veterans — further widened the divide.”
Poole’s role varied this season, and he seemed to prove his worth by averaging 28 points in 11 games while Curry dealt with a shoulder injury. But he was relegated back to the bench upon the star’s return, and there was inconsistency in the playoffs, too.
Poole averaged 17.0 points per game on 50.8-percent shooting from the field and 39.1 percent from behind the 3-point line during the Warriors’ 2022 NBA playoff run, which ended with their fourth championship title in eight seasons. In contrast, Poole averaged 10.3 points per game this postseason, with a 34.1 shooting percentage from the field and 25.4 percent beyond the arc.
The unprecedented dip in production resulted in fewer playoff minutes for Poole, and after he went scoreless in 10 minutes off the bench in Game 4 of the semifinals, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke described a tense postgame locker room scrum between Poole and the media.
“… You could tell he was very frustrated,” Burke said, noting Warriors players such as Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney and Payton were listening in on the awkward exchange. “He was facing his locker, actually, so as the reporters gathered around him, when it became clear he would talk to us, his back was to us.”
There weren’t many Poole Parties this season, and the locker room scene after Game 4 might have been the lowest point of the year for the young Warrior. But while things might have seemed tense and the events of the season have some questioning where Poole’s future with Golden State stands, he knows exactly where he belongs. He bounced back to score 11 points on 5-of-14 shooting in Game 5, and his Game 1 performance was as memorable as most from 2022.
Poole told Murdock he was happy with some aspects of his 2022-23 season even though there were some struggles. And there certainly were bright spots — flashes of what Poole truly is capable of, and what the Warriors have to look forward to after signing him to a lucrative four-year contract extension this past offseason.
The Warriors viewed him as the heir apparent to Curry, and Poole still has the skill set to be that. He sees no reason for Golden State to trade him, either.
“I don’t know why I wouldn’t be [back],” Poole told Murdock the day after the Warriors were eliminated from the playoffs. “It wasn’t a bad year. I mean, career highs in two categories. I was able to make history with Klay [Thompson] and Steph. My first game-winner. It was a lot of good things that happened this season. It wasn’t a bad season.
“Yes, I’m in the fabric. Yes, I belong here in this organization, bridging the gap. And I’m a young guy who was drafted here. We won a championship last year, and we have another chance to do it again. And I don’t know why anybody else would feel otherwise. I don’t think anybody is thinking like that.”
If the Warriors don’t want their dynasty to end, bridging that gap Poole spoke of is the most important factor. That starts with the core of yesterday believing in the future of tomorrow, and that’s obviously the case with Curry and Poole.
And Poole, the proposed “key,” seems to believe in himself plenty, too.
