"They got a problem" - Shannon Sharpe on Jordan Poole's body language in Warriors loss
With their backs against the wall, the Golden State Warriors have often found themselves coming out on top more often than not. But against the Los Angeles Lakers, the road team was not able to handle their business as the Warriors ended up losing 104-101.
A lot of things didn't go in the Warriors' favor and one of those was getting a quality scoring outing from their reliable player on the bench, Jordan Poole. However, Golden State got nothing from Poole as Shannon Sharpe spoke on "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed" regarding the frustration he saw from the Warriors' guard.
"They put him in the game and you could tell that when they took him out of the game, you could tell the way he was like," Sharpe said. "I said 'Uh oh, they got a problem. They got a problem.'"
Sharpe described Poole's body language as lifeless and frustrated when he was taken out of the game after missing all four of his attempts in the game. After being an important piece in the Warriors' championship run last season, Poole was a non-factor in a crucial Game 4 as he did not see any playing minutes in the fourth quarter.
Whether it was the right decision or not from Warriors' coach Steve Kerr to sit out Jordan Poole in crunch time, recent reports of tension in the locker room has created some concern for Golden State.
According to NBC Sports' Kerith Burke, things were not so cool-tempered in the locker room following the disappointing loss as the room had its attention on Poole who struggled all night.
This situation also isn't the first time tensions have penetrated Golden State's locker room. Earlier in the offseason, Draymond Green was caught on video to have thrown a punch against Poole in one of the team's practice sessions.
Some analysts have voiced out their concern that this issue never went away and has troubled Poole for the majority of the season. While it may just be speculation on the media's end, the recent troubling reports involving Poole and the locker room tension have resulted in further discussions regarding the situation.
Warriors' Jordan Poole regarding his struggles on the court in the postseason
Following the loss, Jordan Poole spoke with NBC Sports' Kerith Burke and was asked on how he responds from being in a slump.
"Well, my work ethic doesn’t change," Poole said. "My routine doesn’t change. Maybe opportunity changes, but you can only control what you can control."
Whether Poole is frustrated in being sidelined on the bench during the fourth, Golden State could sure use his scoring in win-or-go home situation for Game 5.
In the four games he has played in the Semifinals round against the Lakers, the Jordan Poole has averaged 8.0 points on 35.3% shooting, including 31.6% from three-point range along with 4.3 assists and 2.5 rebounds.