Getty Golden State Warriors wing Jordan Poole celebrates during a game against the Utah Jazz.
Jordan Poole was already having a breakout season for the Golden State Warriors when he was serving as a placeholder for Klay Thompson in the team’s starting lineup. What he has been doing for the last month-plus is a different brand of balling, though.
Dating back to March 3, Poole has scored 20-plus points in 17 straight contests, a streak that puts him in league with the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, Chris Mullin, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant in the Warriors annals.
If you ask former Dubs big man turned team consultant Zaza Pachulia, though, Poole’s explosion is something that has been brewing for a while. “After the [G League] bubble, his confidence level went through the roof,” Pachulia said during his latest appearance on 95.7 The Game’s The Morning Roast.
That’s not all Pachulia said, however. The two-time NBA champion went on to declare that Poole should take home one of the league’s major year-end awards for his efforts this season.
Pachulia Picks Poole for MIP Trophy
Referencing Poole’s incredible run over the aforementioned period — during which he’s averaged a team-leading 26.4 points per game — and throughout the campaign, Pachulia pointed out that the 22-year-old is no one-trick pony. Rather, he’s gotten better across the board.
“He improved in every category; scoring, the rebounding, the assists, the field-goal percentage, three-point percentage, free-throw percentage,” Pachulia said. “He has so much improvement from previous years.”
More than that, though, Poole has made himself someone who opponents have to gameplan for each and every night.
“Talking to other players from different teams, from opposing teams… he earned the respect from the other players. So, that’s really, really important in this league to have respect from your opponents. He’s always on top of the scouting list for the opposing team.”
As such, Zaza is officially endorsing Poole as the M-I-P.
“I don’t know what else you call star status but, obviously — hopefully — he’s going to win the Most Improved Player of the Year and he deserves it when you look at his stats and everything he’s done this year.”
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Warriors Drop a Spot in ESPN’s Power Rankings
Despite the fact that Golden State has won back-to-back games and looks to be shaking off some of its recent funk, the club actually dropped in the four-letter network’s Week 25 power rankings.
After coming in seventh last week, the Warriors checked in at No. 8 in the latest update, just behind the Sixers at No. 6 and the Mavs at No. 7. Wrote ESPN’s Nick Friedell:
Klay Thompson offered a reminder that he is still capable of going off at any moment while pouring in 36 points and helping the Warriors climb out of a deep hole to beat the Jazz on Saturday night. Jordan Poole continues to rack up huge numbers, too, having scored at least 20 points in 16 straight games — including 38 in Wednesday’s loss to the Suns. The Warriors hope Stephen Curry comes back from a foot injury and instantly plays like his old self when the playoffs begin.
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