Getty Jordan Poole and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
As the Golden State Warriors prepare to head into the playoffs, they will hope that things go better for them than they did in the regular season. Just one year after winning an NBA Championship, Golden State had major issues winning on the road, and their bench unit was subpar.
If they want a chance to make another deep run, everybody on the roster will need to be at their best. Those who have been inconsistent need to be no their A-game, and one of those players is Jordan Poole. According to CJ Holmes of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Warriors will be wondering which version of Poole they’ll get in the postseason.
Holmes wrote the following about Poole:
Which version of Poole will the Warriors see in this series? Will it be the guard who averaged 27 points per game while shooting 50.7% (44.7% from 3-point distance) during Golden State’s four-game homestand in late March, or the man who went 0-of-10 against an undermanned Sacramento team on Friday?
When Poole is on his game, it’s usually an offensive spectacle on par with something you’d see from Curry and Thompson. But when Poole’s off, pressing, committing turnovers and playing lackluster defense, his presence on the court can hurt Golden State in a variety of ways.
The Warriors obviously are hoping to see Poole perform as he did in his first eight playoff appearances last season, when he averaged 22.9 points per game while shooting 56.5% from the field and 42.6% from 3-point range. When he’s on, Golden State is tough to beat.
Poole was a huge part of the Warriors’ title run last year, and if they want to beat the odds and win another championship, they need the best version of him.
Warriors Plans for Andrew Wiggins
Meanwhile, the Warriors will also be looking to get Andrew Wiggins back up and running after his extended absence. ESPN’s Kendra Andrews believes they plan on having him ready for Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs.
“The Warriors are planning on having [Andrew Wiggins] for Game 1,” Andrews said on 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibbs.” “That is the absolute plan. I’ve been told that maybe he could have [played]. He was looking good in his scrimmages and practices. They wanted to play it really safe with keeping him out of that Portland game, but the Warriors are happy with his progression. If he’s starting or not, I don’t know. I remember when Stephen Curry came back from his injury in the playoffs last season, they elected to bring him off the bench for the first two games. So that’s not out of the question for Andrew Wiggins, who missed two months. But, the thing about Andrew Wiggins is that he was able to work out while he was away from the team. So the team is feeling comfortable about bringing him along a little bit quicker and having him ready to go in Game 1.”
Steve Kerr Praises Jordan Poole & Kevon Looney
After the season ended, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr praised Poole and Kevon Looney for appearing in all 82 of the team’s games.
“It’s been a rough year in a lot of ways, and they should feel really proud for making it through and fighting through a lot of adversity to get here,” Kerr said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “I also singled out Loon and JP for playing all 82. It’s so difficult to play 82 games in an NBA season with all the bumps and bruises and the various forms of adversity that hit you individually. So, for Jordan and Loon to be there for us every night was just hugely valuable.”
