"You'd have met bout 10 Ice Spices by now" - Rapper Mase expects Jordan Poole to shake up Wizards drawing parallels to James Harden
Popular rapper Mase believes that Jordan Poole should be able to replicate much of James Harden's success on the Houston Rockets.
Poole and the Golden State Warriors went their separate ways this offseason after winning a title together two years ago. The move came on the heels of Poole struggling in the playoffs last season and resulted in many fans expecting the young star to shine in Washington. It was believed that he would thrive as a primary scoring option there. However, the team has also struggled.
Through the first ten games of the season, the Wizards have gone just 2-8, posting the worst defensive rating in the entire league. On the offensive end of the floor, the team ranks in the bottom ten for efficiency, indicating that the problems are bigger than just one player.
With Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma handling the majority of the offensive burden, Mase has implored Poole to get it together. He spoke on the 'It Is What It Is' podcast and said:
"I expected Jordan Poole to have that first year that James Harden had when he went to the Rockets. Jordan Poole, you got to turn this around. I know you're in Chocolate City. I know you'd have met bout 10 Ice Spices by now. We need you to get back to playing basketball."
Looking at Jordan Poole's first ten games with the Washington Wizards
Throughout his first ten games with the Washington Wizards, Jordan Poole has shown flashes of brilliance, while struggling at other times. So far, this season has seen Poole average just 16.2 points per game, his lowest since the 2020-21 season.
The figure is somewhat shocking given that Poole is considered to be a primary scoring threat for the team alongside Kyle Kuzma. When looking at the 24-year-old's efficiency numbers, it becomes clear that despite having the ball; he isn't succeeding as expected.
Through the first ten games, Poole has averaged 41.2% from the field, his lowest since his rookie season. Similarly, he is averaging the lowest three-point percentage of his career since his rookie season, indicating a cause for concern in Washington.
The early stretch of the season saw Jordan Poole's heliocentric style of play spark frustration with Deni Avdija, who was filmed looking upset during a timeout. Since then, the Wizards have been unable to find their rhythm, dropping three straight games as they sit in 14th place in the East.
As the team looks ahead to a clash with the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, it will be interesting to see what the rest of this season holds for Poole and the Wizards. If they're unable to hit their stride by the trade deadline, the front office could look to shake things up.