-
Kendra Andrews, ESPN
SAN FRANCISCO — When Jordan Poole comes into Chase Center as a member of the Washington Wizards on Friday night, the Golden State Warriors will be facing someone they once thought was a key to their future.
The 28th pick in the 2020 draft who then became a crucial part of the Warriors championship run two seasons ago and earned himself a four-year, $128 million extension, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Poole is a huge success story.
Poole’s tenure couldn’t have worked out any better, Kerr said, except for the way it ended.
“It’s really unfortunate how it played out,” Kerr said after practice on Thursday. “You just wish that things could have ended on a more positive note and in a more positive way.”
Kerr said he doesn’t think there is any resentment between Poole and the Warriors.
Just about two weeks before Poole signed his extension with the Warriors last October, Poole was punched by Draymond Green during training camp.
“He handled that better than 99% of people would,” Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins said, who was one of Poole’s closest friends on the Warriors. “He handled it like a true professional.”
At the time, Kerr called the incident the biggest crisis he had experienced in Golden State. At the end of the season, Kerr said the team never recovered from that moment — as it left a dark cloud over the team all season, both in the locker room and on the court.
Green signed his four-year, $100 million extension with Golden State in July, a sign of their longstanding commitment to him. A few weeks later, Poole was traded to Washington.
“Given that this is his one visit to Chase this year, it’s our first chance to really thank Jordan for his contributions, for helping us win a championship,” Kerr said. “… we don’t win that championship without him. Everyone here recognizes that. Our fans recognize that, so Jordan is going to get a massive ovation.”
Poole averaged 18.5 points on 44.8% field goal shooting, including 36.4% from three, for the Warriors during the 2021-22 season on their way to the title. In the playoffs, he put up 17 points per game on 50.8% shooting. He started the first half of that season before Klay Thompson returned from his injuries, and then subbed in for Stephen Curry as well when Curry was sidelined from late March to the start of the playoffs.
“The way that whole team was, we were all really connected,” Wiggins said. “The way we’re all gelling, on and off the court, supporting one another, it was a great environment to be a part of it.”
Poole’s scoring is something the Warriors lack and miss now.
“There have been times during this run where we’ve needed to find scoring, and Jordan gave us that,” Kerr said. “You cannot minimize his contributions.”
So far with the Wizards, he’s averaging 17.4 points on 41.6 percent shooting — not far off from his regular season campaign two years ago. But, his season has been overshadowed by Washington’s losing record, him chucking up shots and slipping on air.
Still, Kerr expects a big game from Poole on Friday when he faces his old team. As a player who played for six different teams, Kerr understands the satisfaction of sticking it to your former team.
“You want to remind your old team what they’re missing,” Kerr said. “Jordan is going to come out and probably play really well against us.”