Getty Jordan Poole of the Golden State Warriors.
Jordan Poole had a mediocre Game 2 for the Golden State Warriors. The 23-year-old finished with just four points on one-of-seven shooting from the floor against the Sacramento Kings Monday.
The 114-106 loss put the Warriors into an 0-2 hole heading back to Chase Center for Game 3. During an appearance on “Thru The Ringer,” “The Ringer’s” Kevin O’Connor was asked if Golden State needs more out of Poole to get back on track in their first-round series.
“Jordan Poole, I have no hope for him. He’s not a good basketball player and at this point he’s getting benched in the second half for good reason, ” O’Connor said via FanDuel TV. ” I think it comes down to Stephen Curry. You have him at 20 shots in Game 1, 21 shots in Game 2, that’s got to be closer to 30. You’ve got to find a way to get him going, you’ve gotta run your offense through him like the megastar that he is and ride him because you’re not getting those opportunities from others on their team. Especially if you’re without Draymond Green. But even with Draymond he can only serve as an enhancer for Stephen Curry. So they gotta get him going on the highest volume, perhaps, that we’ve ever seen in the postseason.”
“Jordan Poole, I have no hope for him. He’s not a good basketball player…He’s getting benched in the second half for good reason.”
@KevinOConnorNBA and @tatefrazier discuss Warriors struggles on Thru The Ringer 😅
Miss the episode? Watch here ⬇️
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Klay Thompson Drops Statement on Jordan Poole After Warriors Loss
Following the tough loss, Klay Thompson was asked about Poole’s struggles in Game 2. He answered by explaining that the young guard is playing on “half a foot.”
“Well, Jordan’s playing with, like, half a foot right now, so I was just proud of his resilience,” Thompson replied. “I know JK and Donte will have big games for us, everyone’s going to. … I just love those guys, and I know they’ll bounce back. We have a great opportunity ahead of us. I know that we’re going to right the ship.”
Poole headed into Monday’s game listed as questionable, due to a left ankle injury he’d sustained in Game 1.
Stephen Curry Discusses Warriors’ 4th Quarter Rotations
Poole, as well as Jonathan Kuminga and Donte DiVincenzo, logged zero minutes in the fourth quarter on Monday.
After the loss, Curry discussed head coach Steve Kerr‘s decision to leave the trio out.
“I mean, the way that we’ve played all year, there have been different rotations,” Curry said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “Getting out there and trying different things. It’s part of how we’re built because we have so many options based on looks, based on what the other team’s doing. And our biggest challenge is for everybody to stay locked in mentally on what you’re asked to do when you’re out there and not get deflated if it’s not your night or not your turn. I know that’s really hard to do. Everybody wants to be out there. Everybody wants to play. But things changed really quickly in a series, and if you miss that moment because you give in to the frustrations or whatever that is, that’s the hard part. That’s the challenge. So, those guys have been productive all year. They have helped us win some big games. I expect whoever’s out there to contribute, especially when we go home, to find some momentum and some life and give ourselves a chance in the series.”