Getty Jordan Poole of the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors just wrapped up a five-game road trip that saw them lose every single game. They are now 3-7 on the season and a few players on their roster are struggling more than most, one of them being Jordan Poole.
Head coach Steve Kerr spoke about Poole’s struggles on Saturday, pointing out his over-dribbling and explaining the importance of ball movement.
“He’s trying too hard,” Kerr said. “I think Jordan’s trying too hard to create every play. He’s at his best when there’s a flow to a game. He plays on and off the ball. He’s getting some catch-and-shoot opportunities. The NBA is filled with the greatest athletes on earth and trying to drill through those athletes time and again is not going to be a winning formula. Ball movement is crucial to trying to win at this level.”
So far this season, Poole has appeared in all 10 of Golden State’s games, playing 29.5 minutes per contest. The young guard is averaging 16.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists on 41.0% shooting from the field and 31.0% shooting from beyond the three-point line.
He’s been caught carrying the ball and over-dribbling a lot this year, and it’s costing the Warriors possessions. Poole is averaging a team-high 3.2 turnovers per game. That number also ranks 18th in the league as a whole.
Kerr Places Blame on Multiple Players
The head coach made sure not to single out Poole, however. He said that ball movement is something that they stress with all of their players, including Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
“That’s for Jordan, that’s for Steph, that’s for Klay, that’s for Draymond,” said Kerr. “And that’s the way that we’ve always played. Ball’s got to move. We’ve got to trust the pass to put the defense in a tough spot.”
Last season, the Warriors tallied the fifth-most assists per game (27.1), and they’ve always been a great passing team under Kerr. And the same can be said for this season. They rank second in the league in assists, and the number has gone up to 28.6.
However, the area where they’re failing is in the turnover department. They are turning the ball over a league-high 16.9 times per game.
Kerr Explains Importance of Ball Movement
When the offense is stagnant and players choose to go one-on-one, the defense doesn’t have to react to anything. Everyone outside of the on-ball defender can stand around and wait to help. Kerr explained how ball movement fixes this.
“Where now, all of a sudden, the defense is trying to recover, and you’re attacking closeouts and a disjointed defense rather than attacking one guy one-on-one with four guys standing behind him in a shell drill. And that’s what we’re looking at a lot, so we’ve got to soften up the defense by moving the ball and getting a better rhythm to our offense.”
So, as the Warriors attempt to get back on their feet, Kerr will look to Poole and the rest of the team’s stars to lead the way in terms of improving their ball movement.
Maybe they need a lesson is ball value! Is it more important to not commit turnovers when you know their will be friendly reminders at practice!! Run em’ and shoot free throws then run em’ again if they don’t have under a certain amount like 10!