Getty Zaza Pachulia and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors celebrate following their Game 4 victory over the Cleveland cavaliers during the 2018 NBA Finals.
After rocking the NBA through the first half of the 2021-22 campaign, the Golden State Warriors suddenly find themselves in a tough spot entering postseason play. The reason: superstar Stephen Curry has been shelved for at least the next few weeks with a sprained ligament in his left foot.
As a result, there’s a growing concern about the Dubs’ ability to maintain their status as a top-three seed in the Western Conference.
If Golden State is to enter the playoff fray on any semblance of a high note, it will need multiple ballers to step up. To that end, Jordan Poole is being asked to shoulder more of the load than most. And, so far, he’s coming through with flying colors.
On Tuesday, the 22-year-old dropped 26 points and six assists in a losing effort to the Magic. It was the 10th straight game in which he scored 20 or more points; a stretch that has raised some eyebrows within the Warriors organization.
Zaza Sounds off on Poole’s Performance
Ahead of Tuesday’s game, Zaza Pachulia — who now serves as a basketball ops advisor for the Warriors after having won two titles with the team previously — made it clear that Poole’s efforts have not gone unnoticed.
“This kid is amazing all of us,” Pachulia said during an appearance on 95.7 The Game’s The Morning Roast. “Not only Warriors fans but just basketball fans.”
As he sees it, the third-year pro has shown himself to have some legitimate star chops throughout his breakout year for the Warriors, especially in recent weeks.
“He’s such a great player. His moves are so pure, so fancy. He definitely has charisma as well. You can’t compare him to anyone. He’s Jordan Poole,” Pachulia said.
As of this writing, Poole is averaging 17.4 points, 3.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds per contest. He’s also connecting on 36.3% of his 7.1 three-point attempts on average. Meanwhile, the myriad ways in which he’s making plays has caught Pachulia’s eye.
“That’s what I love about him and what I love about his game – his ability to shoot from outside. The open court, he’s so fast and so creative with the ball. I just love watching him.”
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Pachulia Isn’t Sweating Steph’s Injury
Although there has been a palpable feeling of doom and gloom permeating Dub Nation since Steph went down, Pachulia isn’t ready to wave the white flag on the season. Rather, he remains hopeful about Curry’s ability to return to the hardwood and get back to making a major impact.
“I trust Steph,” Pachulia said. “He’s not a rookie, he’s not a kid. He’s very experienced and he’s a veteran player. He knows what he’s doing. He’s been there before, he’s done it. I think it’s very, very important for us to feel good.”
A lot of those good vibes have apparently come from Curry himself, whose optimism has emboldened Pachulia.
“Of course, we’re worried — we wish it never happened — but at the same time, we trust Steph’s experience. I’m very confident because he’s confident that he’s gonna come back.”
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