Jordan Poole: Timeline of the heir-apparent to Steph Curry
23-year old Jordan Poole is heir-apparent to the greatest point guard of all time, Steph Curry. The 6'4 combo guard out of Milwaukee has been all over social media for his meme-faces, and the term "Poole Party" has spread like wildfire.
His playstyle has Curry's fingerprints all over it, yet he's also a unique player of his own. Poole is one of the shiftiest players in the league and has an insanely quick first step, often helping him blow past players in a jiffy. His shooting leaves a lot to be desired, but for a fourth-year player who's been thrown right into the fire, Poole has most definitely lived up to, and exceeded, expectations.
Poole is known to be one of the most hardworking players on the Warriors, and has often been seen arriving earliest in the Warriors training sessions. Let's take a look at how Poole became the player he is today, starting with his high school days.
Jordan Poole's path to greatness
High School
Poole grew up in Wisconsin and played basketball at Rufus King High School before moving on to play at La Lumiere School in Indiana. He was heavily recruited through high school and ended up getting an offer from the University of Michigan to play college basketball at the NCAA D1 level.
College
Poole spent two years at the University of Michigan (UoM) before declaring for the draft. He averaged just over six points in 12 minutes. However, Poole was always built for the big stages, sinking a buzzer-beater in the NCAA March Madness second-round game between UoM and the Houston Cougars.
Poole returned to college for his sophomore year and found himself in a much bigger role. He started all thirty-seven games at the point guard position, averaging 12 points in 33 minutes. After his college career came to a crashing close in the Sweet 16 stage of the March Madness tournament, Poole declared for the NBA draft.
NBA rookie season
Poole was drafted into the 28th position in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft. He was given free reign by the team as both Curry and Klay Thompson were out injured for the entire season.
Statistically, Jordan was one of the worst players in the league. However, he showed flashes of ball-handling brilliance, and it was apparent that he was an extremely skillful player, who just needed time to get adjusted to the NBA speed.
Jordan ended the 2019 season averaging 8 points in 22 minutes as the Warriors failed to make the playoffs.
NBA sophomore campaign
With the return of Steph Curry and the acquisition of Andrew Wiggins, the Warriors looked like playoff contenders in the 2020 season. Jordan Poole started the season quite slowly, but managed to make an incredible turn-around after spending a few weeks in the NBA G-League.
He came back as a much-improved scorer and was doing an excellent job running the offense off the bench. Fans and coaches alike had begun seeing Jordan as the future of the franchise. Jordan went on a tear to end the season averaging over 12 points in 20 minutes of action as the Warriors missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Breakout Year - Third NBA season
Klay Thompson's unavailability meant that Jordan Poole got the starting shooting guard spot next to Steph Curry at the beginning of the 2021 season. Jordan excelled in his role as a scorer. Curry's gravity opened up driving lanes for Jordan, who by this time had become an elite finisher at the rim, having the ability to lay it up in a plethora of ways.
Klay Thompson's return saw a period of adjustment for Poole as he was relegated to the bench. However, this was shortlived, as Steph Curry's injury meant that Poole had to be called back into the starting lineup to close out the regular season.
Jordan Poole ended the season with a fantastic 17-game streak of scoring 20+ points, helping the Warriors to the third seed in the process. He played a pivotal role in the series against Denver, dropping 30 points in his first ever playoff appearance against them.
He went on to have an incredible playoff run off the bench after Steph's return, and ended up averaging 17 points over the course of the Warriors' fifth championship victory.
Contract extension and fourth NBA Season
Jordan Poole recieved a four-year 140 million dollar contract from the Warriors, which he gladly accepted. Poole has been averaging a career-high 20 ppg so far, and is excelling in his sixth-man role.
Poole's main criticism, however, is his efforts on the defensive end; he is often targeted by opposing teams for his subpar defense. If Poole truly wants to propel himself into superstardom, he will have to make huge strides on the defensive end, otherwise he'll always be seen as a Jamal Crawford-level player.