“Remember when Jeremy Lin first came on? He was so hot, once everyone start focusing on him, what happened after that?'' - Shaquille O'Neal tells people to slow down before crowning a 3rd Splash Brother
Shaquille O'Neal and NBA social media are abuzz looking for the right name to bestow on the spectacular trio of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Jordan Poole.
Curry and Thompson, of course, comprise the best shooting backcourt in league history, shooting their way to fame while carrying the Splash Bros moniker.
With Poole’s sizzling postseason form, most basketball fans are already admitting him to the elusive and illustrious Splash Bros dynamic.
Poole is forcing his way into the NBA’s best shooting brethren by averaging a team-best 28.7 points on 66.7% shooting, including 59.1% from three.
On an episode of The Big Podcast, O'Neal revealed he isn’t yet ready to just give the three-year guard a pass into the iconic Splash Bros backcourt:
"Can you do it for Game 4, can you do it for Game 5? Can you continue to do it? Lots of these kids that can play and nobody know about ‘em. Pressure’s not on them yet."
"But the more he keeps doing this, they gonna lockdown on him. And when they lock down on him, reality’s gonna kick in."
"Not sayin’ he’s like Jeremy Lin, but I’m just throwin you an analogy. Remember when Jeremy Lin first came on? He was so hot. Once everybody start focusing on him, what happened after that?"
O'Neal knows that Poole rose from relative obscurity. The former University of Michigan standout was even called the "worst pick in 2019."
With Thompson injured, Poole earned his way to Steve Kerr’s rotation. JP started just 21 games in his first two seasons before reaching 51 this campaign.
“Jordan Poole… maybe the worst pick in the draft so far” (2019)
https://t.co/aIo6cAUnr3
The 22-year-old’s rise has been steady, if not unspectacular. Learning from Curry and then Thompson, he has finally shown his true worth, especially in the 2022 postseason.
Jordan Poole's series
-30 points on 9/13 FG
-29 points on 10/16 FG
-27 points on 9/13 FG
That's 86 points on 42 shots. Becomes only the 16th player ever to score 25+ in first three career playoff games.
Jeremy Lin, on the other hand, came out of nowhere to stun the NBA with his exploits for the New York Knicks in 2012. Linsanity, for a brief moment, was the toast of the league until teams figured out how to scheme against the previously unknown point guard.
Poole’s scorching-hot 2022 postseason may be unsustainable, but it doesn’t look like he’ll fizzle the way Lin did 10 years ago.
Shaquille O'Neal guaranteed that the Golden State Warriors will win the title this season
Shaquille O'Neal isn’t just jumping into the Golden State Warriors’ bandwagon now that they are looking like a juggernaut in three playoff games.
Even during the team’s adversity-filled season, O'Neal never wavered in his belief that the Bay Area team would eventually become this season’s champions.
The four-time champion may have gotten his predictions right as the Golden State Warriors are now healthy and just gaining more confidence.
Draymond Green is back to his old dominating self on defense while acting as the fulcrum of the offense. Klay Thompson, after a rough late-season stretch, seems to have found his legs.
“Golden State will win the championship this year. I’m guaranteeing it.” 🗣
@SHAQ doubles down on the @warriors winning the title on this week's episode of #TheBigPodcast: bit.ly/33A3V0Z https://t.co/D88io3jSDp
The clincher and perhaps the biggest factor to put the Warriors back on top of the NBA is Jordan Poole’s outstanding playoffs. He’s shockingly become the team’s primary option on offense. Instead of wilting, he has flourished in the role.
If the Golden State Warriors win the NBA title, Shaquille O'Neal may just concede that Jordan Poole deserves to be a member of the Splash Bros.