“Jordan is by far the most advanced and we're going to lean on him heavily now and well into the future” - Steve Kerr highlights Jordan Poole’s importance amidst Draymond Green fiasco
Jordan Poole has popped up as a rising star in the Golden State Warriors' system. Head coach Steve Kerr took note of this and expressed how vital Poole will be to the team moving forward.
Jordan Poole burst onto the scene last season. After seeing a massive uptick in performances from his sophomore season, the 23-year-old looked like the next big thing for the Dubs.
Under the mentorship of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole has become a vital piece of the Warriors' offensive system. Although he still has more room to go, even Steve Kerr believes that the youngster will be a focal point for the team in the future.
Kerr addressed this in a recent press conference. As per The Athletic's Tim Kawakami, he said:
"He's someone we're going to rely on for many years to come and that's exciting. So we got a lot of good young players but, Jordan is by far the most advanced and we're going to lean on him heavily now and well into the future.”
Interesting wording by Kerr on Poole last night:
"He's someone we're going to rely on for many years to come and that's exciting. So we got a lot of good young players but, Jordan is by far the most advanced and we're going to lean on him heavily now and well into the future.”
While Kerr's statement on Jordan Poole appears to be pretty tame, there could be further implications on the current team dynamic.
In light of the fact that Poole is due for a rather hefty contract extension this year, the Warriors have seen developments in internal drama. This is in reference to the altercation between the youngster and veteran forward Draymond Green.
Considering the fallout from the altercation, the Dubs appear to be in a state of disarray. In this regard, Kerr's statement could be reflective of the team's position on retaining the 23-year-old for the future.
With Green also stepping away from the team for an undisclosed duration, the Dubs are certain to see a shift in their team dynamic.
While this could also be suggestive of the Warrior's organization not offering a max extension to Green, the matter remains up for speculation.
Jordan Poole continues to develop into a star-caliber player
Jordan Poole's first two years in the NBA were relatively quaint. Given that his arrival was during a rather dark period in the Warriors' dynasty, he managed to grow significantly in a short period of time.
Making a huge jump in his third season, Poole notched an average of 18.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Given his relative lack of maturity at the time, he emerged as a pure gunslinger who could score at any given point in time.
This made him an extremely effective running mate when paired with the likes of Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins.
The most impressive part of his game has been his three-point shooting. Under the tutelage of Curry, Poole developed into a lethal three-point shooter with a knack for pulling up from distance. This merely added more arrows to Golden State's quiver of perimeter threats.
10 days until ring night.
Jordan Poole holds the NBA record most 3PM in a players first two playoff games at 10. https://t.co/y0tazl0Vat
As the Golden State Warriors prepare for their title defense this season, the Dubs will hope to see Jordan Poole continue to grow. With their first game against the LA Lakers on Oct 18th, the Warriors will also look to make up for the loss in the preseason.