Interesting article about Jordan Poole
This is from a little over a month ago, but it slipped this board's notice at the time. Some interesting snippets include a historical analysis of just how bad Poole has been in the NBA (spoiler: he's the worst shooter the NBA has seen in 70 years), and Coach Kerr suggesting he should have spent more time in college.
https://www.sfexaminer.com/sports/warriors-jordan-poole-shooting-himself-out-of-the-big-league/
January 22nd, 2020 at 10:29 PM ^
He was sent down to the G League to help him get acclimated with the speed of the game and improve his shot selection.
After he returned, he had 4 good games in a row including one where the carried the Warriors in the first half against the Orlando Magic (which resulted in a win).
January 23rd, 2020 at 12:12 AM ^
Yes. Since he's been back from the G League he's been great.
January 23rd, 2020 at 10:43 AM ^
"Since he's been back from the G League he's been great."
I'm honestly not sure where you're getting this. In the month of December, his field goal percentage was 10.5% (!!!!). He went down to the G League at the end of December, where he did very well, and then he came back up to the NBA in early January.
So far, in January, his field goal percentage is....34.5%. That is not great.
Take a look at his game log. He's had 2-3 good games since the call-up, out of 10 games played. https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/4277956/jordan-poole
January 23rd, 2020 at 12:31 PM ^
"Great" my be a bit of a stretch.
January 23rd, 2020 at 3:25 AM ^
I actually went to one of his games this year back in November against the Pelicans. He shot the ball A Lot...with the same confidence and flare.
But sadly, he didn't score a point.
I'm just glad he shot 100% on that buzzer beater against Houston. I'm forever grateful.
January 23rd, 2020 at 10:47 AM ^
I'm not trying to be a hater here, but let's at least attach some facts to our narratives. In his first four games after returning from the G League, he went 2-5 in 18 minutes, 2-4 in 16 minutes, 0-3 in 14 minutes, and 2-7 in 16 minutes.
He did have a nice 4-game stretch a bit later (@MEM, vs DAL, vs DEN, vs ORL) but his 3-point percentage since returning is still only 32.7%.
January 22nd, 2020 at 10:29 PM ^
Just listened to a Kerr interview last week where he said Poole Benefitted greatly from going to G league for a bit.
I’m not following JP much out here but thought I’d add local radio info.
edit. Maybe it was Monday. Bay Area radio is lit with 49er crap as u might expect.
January 22nd, 2020 at 10:40 PM ^
Huh... I could have sworn that the basketball experts here assured us that Poole wouldn't benefit from any more college ball, that it was a waste of time, etc etc
January 22nd, 2020 at 11:29 PM ^
First round pick getting paid to play and practice basketball 24/7 against other professionals. Not sure how Ann Arbor is a better situation.
January 23rd, 2020 at 3:15 AM ^
Michigan fans who say he should have stayed didn't fully understand why he left last year.
Along those same lines, I hope those aren't the same people complaining that a player on the team dribbles around too much....like that's something that started this year under the new coach.
January 23rd, 2020 at 8:35 AM ^
Not sure how Ann Arbor is a better situation
"It’s a hard transition to go from college to the pros,” Kerr said, “but particularly when you’re 20 years old, you’ve only played two years of college ball. You’re still getting stronger, you’re growing, you’re maturing. It’s a little easier for a four-year guy like Eric Paschall or Ky Bowman to come in to the NBA. Those two extra years are a big difference."—Steve Kerr
I dunno, maybe a guy who won won five NBA titles as a player and three as a head coach and who has the highest career 3-point percentage in NBA history for any player with at least 250 threes might be pretty well-positioned to suggest a certain horribly-shooting player on his own team would have benefitted from staying in college for another year or two.
January 23rd, 2020 at 9:14 AM ^
So he gets to get paid and develop playing against other professional now. So what? I still don’t see how he can do that in Ann Arbor and it’s somehow a better situation for him. Are you saying that he’s not going to develop those things in the NBA and G-League while getting paid?
January 23rd, 2020 at 9:28 AM ^
Exactly...they act like this was said by GM's at the combine.
?He was drafted in the 1st round.
Drafted over people who "stayed"....
Yeah Jordan, stay another year in college so you can stand in the corner and wait for passes while your fanbase can tear your game apart all over social media from their couches and blame losses on you, all ... without you getting paid for it.
Makes Sense.
January 23rd, 2020 at 11:21 AM ^
For Poole it may be better, but the NBA is still a job, not necessarily a training league. They may say fuck it, and let him fail, where he may have been in an environment more conducive to improving areas of his game in college. Oddly all this playing time may be working against him because he's being exposed...a minus defender, not very athletic and now his one calling card...he's not good at, at all. You think he's gonna parlay that into a long career?
All that said, I'm still glad he's in the NBA.
January 24th, 2020 at 5:38 AM ^
The difference is that when you suck in the NBA you get cut and your career is over. If you stay in college and improve, you get to the NBA and stick for ten years or more. See such guys as THJ and others from recent Michigan history.
January 23rd, 2020 at 5:06 PM ^
You're interpreting these comments wrong. He's not at all saying he should have gone back to college which would be tantamount to saying "my team made a mistake drafting this guy".
He's just saying that it's going to take a little time and development because he's only 20. He's giving Poole a break. Telling media and fans to be patient.
January 22nd, 2020 at 10:49 PM ^
Beilien was right, then, wasn't he.... I also thought Wilson, Iggy, Matthews, all should have stayed..
January 23rd, 2020 at 2:10 AM ^
Matthews is the only one that made the right choice skillwise. Obviously Wilson and Poole made the right financial choice being 1st rounders
Matthews was what he was and another year wouldn't have changed much. If he had not gotten hurt I think his defense would've given him a solid shot in the NBA
January 23rd, 2020 at 9:07 AM ^
Wasn’t Matthews out of eligibility? I know he was our only player to participate in senior night last year and he did complete his degree. Not sure what a fifth year (if it was available) would have done for him. If anything you should thank Matthews for coming back after he considered going to the league after the title run.
January 23rd, 2020 at 5:09 PM ^
He had a year of eligibility left but participated in senior night because he was a senior and had already decided not to use his 5th year of eligibility.
January 22nd, 2020 at 10:54 PM ^
His shooting percentage is up to 28.3% on the season. It looks like he will successfully avoid having the worst shooting percentage season for this volume in the history of the NBA after all. He will always have a special place in all of our hearts for that generational buzzer beater. He was always a different cat, marching to the beat of his own drum. There’s plenty of talent there though, and I hope that he can hang around in the NBA for a while.
January 22nd, 2020 at 11:24 PM ^
Worse than Stauskas?
January 23rd, 2020 at 12:24 AM ^
Poole has also been thrust into a terrible role for him as a rookie. As a non lottery pick he should be getting spot minutes or spend time in the G League. Instead he’s playing 20+ minutes a game. Sure his shooting could be better - which was the case in Michigan as well - but he’s not exactly in the best position to succeed right now
January 23rd, 2020 at 12:57 AM ^
Jordan Poole made the right decision to go Pro. It's not his fault the Warriors thought he was going to be a consistently good shooter.
Come on. Poole was inconsistent at best. If I understood that then some scout who looked at his film and the statistics clearly would understand that. Will Poole ever become a consistent shooter? I don't know. He was that guy in high school and beyond. I think he is going to have to be a well rounded scorer and not a spot up guy like Kerr. It's never who he was.
We will see.
January 23rd, 2020 at 1:35 AM ^
He has the flair of Curry, Luka, and Trae. If only the shots would go in.
January 23rd, 2020 at 2:13 AM ^
Poole and Matthews leaving made sense. Poole was a 1st rounder. Matthews wasn't going to improve much with a 5th year in college. Poole could've used an extra year of development for sure though
I just wish Iggy came back. I think if he came back he could average 20ppg and possibly be drafted in the end of the 1st round. This draft doesn't look very good outside of the Top 10. Now Iggy cant even crack the rotation in New York
Not to mention, Iggy is exactly what this Michigan team needs. A guy who can hit a 3 but more importantly drive the ball
January 23rd, 2020 at 11:05 AM ^
I'd really love to hear what Juwan Howard would say. He was in the league a long time, played with the best, and coached in a great situation. There's no reason for him ever to comment on Poole or Iggy, but if anyone had the ability to give a valid opinion, it would be Howard. It will be interesting in the future what he will say to kids who can't wait to go pro.
January 23rd, 2020 at 5:12 PM ^
Eh, Iggy got himself a two year guaranteed contract. Very hard to argue he made the wrong decision. He doesn't have a lot of upside, so was unlikely to move up draft boards. He could have gotten hurt. He'll collect his 2.5 million over two years and head to Europe. Good for him.
January 23rd, 2020 at 5:56 AM ^
Not surprising. He was a volume shooter with poor shot selection in college.
January 23rd, 2020 at 1:11 PM ^
This is correct. He is a volume shooter with a low shooting percentage at every level. He looks the part but the consistency isn't there. As I have said many times before, he is a chucker. Sort of like Harden but not nearly as good. These chuckers will kill you in a game. A streaker shooter is hard to figure out when they are hot. One game 6-7 and the next 9 games 2-8. That won't get it done especially if you are a liability on defense. How do you figure out what game they are shooting well?
He reminds me a lot of Ron Coleman back in the day for UM. Much more talented but would brick up a storm most of the time. Do you know what the odds are of taking a guy who has historically been a mediocre 3 point shooter and now making him a great 3 point shooter? Highly unlikely. I think he can become a good 3 point shooter but will need to improve other areas of his game to stick around because he is never, ever, going to become Kerr or Curry. Ever. Not going to happen.
The same way Mo Wagner will not become Larry Bird.
January 23rd, 2020 at 6:49 AM ^
Poole is a half season away from the phrase "getting late, early" like we use for some football players around here. People point out he's not in the best situation which I think is completely false, he's in the best situation possible. Playing big minutes, against real teams, real NBA stars, getting the experience. It's clear though that he might not make it in the NBA, next season the Warriors will have Curry, Thompson, Green, a lottery pick and probably a FA joining the team, where does he fit in? If he doesn't show much these last 40 games back to the G league and then he's traded to some dumpster fire like the Suns.
January 23rd, 2020 at 7:27 AM ^
Not surprised at all. Poole was the most overrated player of the Belein era. I couldn’t believe he got drafted in the first round.
January 23rd, 2020 at 8:49 AM ^
The most overrated player of the Beilein era is on the team right now-and likely a very strong reason both Poole and Brazdeikis left early. A starting lineup that included DDJ, Poole, Livers and Brazdeikis may well still be undefeated.
January 23rd, 2020 at 10:27 AM ^
I'm not sure who you are referring to on the current team? Wagner? Brooks? Simpson??
I'm not sure why any of those players would be reason for Poole and Brazdeikis to leave.
January 23rd, 2020 at 1:57 PM ^
I think they mean Simpson. I strongly disagree with them.
January 23rd, 2020 at 5:15 PM ^
He means Simpson. He's always been a hater. This guy has has terrible hot takes and thinks colleges should play the way his high school team played in like 1960 with no three point line.
January 23rd, 2020 at 4:00 PM ^
This is a bad take.
January 23rd, 2020 at 8:55 AM ^
Like to look at basketball reference numbers offensive and defensive ratings and his differential is one of worst I ever recall noticing
January 23rd, 2020 at 10:27 AM ^
Not shooting good. But he probably makes up for that with his stellar defense.
January 23rd, 2020 at 10:55 AM ^
Kerr was likely in the room when GS drafted him. Is this "needed more time" conclusion something he's determined after using some fancy metrics? Or did he just miss on this one?
January 23rd, 2020 at 1:26 PM ^
Great point. What did GS see in Poole that 'we' as UM fans saw? Well, they saw his range and his athleticism but decided that he would improve his consistency. That is on GS and Kerr.
Poole was never a college type player. He was born to play in a flashier type structure. I jest but Poole would have been fun to watch on the Harlem Globetrotters. Poole is a wanna be Jamal Crawford without the athleticism or shooting prowess.
Good for him. Somebody gave him a lifetime of riches. Good for him. Living his dream. I wish him well.
January 23rd, 2020 at 12:01 PM ^
Where does he suggest he should have spent more time in college? He mentions how 4 year guys are further along but never says anything close to what OP is claiming.
"“It’s a hard transition to go from college to the pros,” Kerr said, “but particularly when you’re 20 years old, you’ve only played two years of college ball. You’re still getting stronger, you’re growing, you’re maturing. It’s a little easier for a four-year guy like Eric Paschall or Ky Bowman to come in to the NBA. Those two extra years are a big difference. So I think that first (NBA) year it’s about figuring everything out — shot selection, defense, different actions that you have to guard. Speed and strength of your opponent. It’s all brand new.”"
January 23rd, 2020 at 1:28 PM ^
Good point. I think GS was looking long term with development but I think they are starting to see the inconsistency as a problem. They are getting the Jordan Poole experience. Probably should have talked more with coach Beilein.
January 25th, 2020 at 7:26 AM ^
GS was definitely not looking long term with Poole. They thought he could come in this year and help this team. They needed help immediately with all the injuries and thought he was worth the risk.
January 23rd, 2020 at 5:24 PM ^
This is an excellent point. He's not at all saying he should have gone back (because why would they have drafted him).
He's calling for patience from the fans and media. He's giving Poole a break. Saying, hey, he's only 20, he is a project.
January 23rd, 2020 at 2:34 PM ^
Speaking of poor shooting, I heard Harden went one for seventeen from 3 recently.
That ability to go 1-16 and still jack up another three is what separates him from mere mortals.
January 23rd, 2020 at 9:59 PM ^
He’s literally one of the most efficient scorers in NBA history.
January 23rd, 2020 at 5:21 PM ^
Poole wasn't wrong to go, because he got drafted in the first round and is now a multi-millionaire.
However, the Warriors were probably wrong to draft him in the first round. Unless he has dramatic improvement in his shooting (possible, but he was never that great for us either--37% 3-pt shooter) he will not be in the league long. But he's set for life if he manages his money correctly.
January 25th, 2020 at 7:28 AM ^
Poole was wrong to go.
GS was wrong for drafting him. If they hadn't he more than likely doesn't get drafted.