"N****s like these don’t belong in the league”: Kevin Garnett slams Wizards' star Jordan Poole
This past offseason, Jordan Poole found himself traded from the Golden State Warriors to the Washington Wizards. Now, his slow start to the season has one Hall of Famer questioning his spot in the league.
After years of playing behind Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole finally got the opportunity to be the top guy on his own team. That said, things have not played out the way some expected. In his first 14 games with the Wizards, Poole averages 17.1 points on 39.5% shooting from the field and 29.3% from three.
During a recent episode of his podcast, NBA legend Kevin Garnett did not hold back on Jordan Poole. He feels the young guard shouldn't be flashing his championship ring after his slow start. Garnett also went as far to say that guys like him don't belong in the league.
"You flexing champ s*** but you ain't bringing champion environment in here. You learnt this in Golden State?" Garnett said. "N***** like this don't belong in our league bro."
Despite having two All-Star-level players in Poole and Kyle Kuzma, the Wizards are in 14th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 2-12.
Washington Wizards don't feel Jordan Poole is a franchise guy
With Bradley Beal being dealt to the Phoenix Suns, many thought Jordan Poole was going to be the new face of the Washington Wizards. Recent reports suggest that the organization doesn't see him in their future plans.
During his time with the Golden State Warriors, Poole showed the potenital to be a high-level scorer in this league. Even when coming off the bench, he still averaged around 20 points per game. However, that level of production has not carried over with him to his new team.
Recently, NBA insider Marc Stein detailed the Wizards' plans regarding Poole. They feel as though he is more of a trade asset for their rebuild than a franchise guy they can build around moving forward.
"My sense, from speaking to various league observers," Stein said. " Is that more believe it is the former rather than the latter."
Through the first month of the season, Poole has not proven he deserves the title of "franchise guy." As Kevin Garnett said, he won a championship with the Warriors but has not brought that winning mindset to Washington. After spending years with that core, Poole should be spreading the knowledge he learned to a franchise looking to turn their fortunes around.