Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole has regressed in Washington. Poole played in all 38 games (at time of writing) with the Wizards, who acquired him via a surprising trade from the Golden State Warriors back in July. So far, Poole’s time in Washington has been largely a disappointment considering his talent. Why has the NBA champion guard been declining during his time in D.C?
Jordan Poole Has Regressed During His Tenure With the Wizards
Setting the Stage
Poole was drafted 28th overall out of Michigan in the 2019 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. The former Wolverine spent two seasons playing in the G-League affiliate team of the Warriors, the Santa Cruz Warriors. Poole then became a prominent contributor off the bench for Golden State in 2021, especially in the postseason where the Warriors won the NBA championship. In the 2022 postseason, Poole averaged 17 points (third-highest on the team) while shooting 50.8 percent from the field, respectively.
After Poole’s impressive performance in the postseason, it seemed like Poole was going to be the future of the Warriors. The Warriors extended Poole to the tune of a 4-year, $128 million dollar extension, which confirmed that the Warriors had high hopes for the former first-round pick. Everything seemed fine for Poole and the Warriors heading into the start of the 2022-2023 season, that was until Poole and Warriors forward Draymond Green got into a physical calamity.
Since the altercation with Green, Poole’s play not only declined throughout the season, but his body language and energy looked completely different compared to the season prior. In 2022, Poole averaged a career-high 20.4 points per game, but also averaged 3.1 turnovers per game (a career-high). In the 2023 postseason, Poole averaged 10.3 points per game while shooting 34.1 percent from the field and 25.4 percent from three-point range. Something shifted in Poole, and the Warriors’ front office knew the dynamic between Poole and the team changed dramatically for the worse.
Poole Party Comes to D.C
Poole arrived in Washington and got paired with NBA champion forward Kyle Kuzma. The duo was set to be the main attraction in D.C. In Golden State, Poole showed flashes of being able to be a first or second option for a team in contention. Poole had games when he was a member of the Warriors where he would erupt offensively (24 30-point games with the Warriors). That is how the name “Poole Party” came to fruition. This situation should be his opportunity to maximize his potential and blossom into a star that the NBA community knows he can be.
How Things Are Going
The Wizards are one of the worst NBA franchises in the league. Washington only has eight winning seasons since it became the Washington Wizards in the 1997-1998 NBA season. However, Poole’s performance on the court has looked abysmal to say the least, especially on defense. Poole is not known as a defensive prowess, but he currently has an individual defensive rating of 123.9 which is one of the worst in the league. Collectively, Washington ranks second to last (only ahead of the 4-win Detroit Pistons) in team defense. The Wizards sport a 121.1 defensive rating, respectively.
Offensively, Poole is shooting the second-worst percentage of his career from the field and from three-point range (outside of his rookie year). Poole is shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from beyond the arc, respectively. Poole’s shot selection and effort on the defensive end plummeted his potential trade value and stock as a rising star in the league. There are times during contests when Poole looks disinterested and plays selfish basketball, as seen in this video.
Deni Avdija doesn't look so happy about Jordan Poole's shot selection. pic.twitter.com/5MEk2X9qM3
— Francesco Semprucci (@fra_sempru) October 19, 2023
In a contest against the Knicks, the Wizards are in a fast break and Poole calls for the ball beyond the arc. On the other side of the court has stood forward Deni Avdija. Avdija waved his hands in the air calling for the ball while he was wide open. Instead of Poole making the basketball play, he took a contested three-point shot while fading away. Yes, the shot went in but Avdija looked frustrated at Poole’s questionable shot selection, a theme of his this season.
Why Poole Has Regressed and/or Perhaps Hasn’t Been Reaching His Potential In Washington
Poole went from a team with an arguable top-10 all-time player in Curry and a Hall of Fame coach in Steve Kerr to one of the lowly franchises in the league. Poole left a winning culture to a franchise that has no intention of winning at this juncture. Washington currently sits at 7-32 on the year, as they recently lost to the Pistons 129-117 on Monday. Detroit currently holds the NBA record for the most consecutive losses in league history with 27, respectively.
It’s fair to say that Poole didn’t want to leave Golden State, despite what happened between him and Green. Poole has played in every game this season for Washington but is having minimal to no impact. Poole currently has a plus-minus of -330 of the season thus far. There have been times when a player experienced success with a previous team and then traded to a lesser franchise. Former Wizards guard Russell Westbrook was traded from prime James Harden and the contending Houston Rockets to Washington in 2020.
Westbrook averaged 22.9 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 11.7 assists during his lone season with the Wizards during the 2020 season. The 2016-2017 NBA MVP led Washington to the postseason, albeit with a 34-38 record. Regardless of the record, his impact was prominent and he helped the Wizards make the playoffs after a three-season drought. Westbrook played hard despite not being a part of a team that wasn’t in serious contention. Poole should adopt that same mindset.
The Last Word
Poole is a highly talented player and entertainer who can light up the scoreboard on any given night. He can get to the rim at will, has a strong handle, and can shoot from anywhere on the court. It’s clear Washington isn’t exactly the place Poole wants to be. However, his play shouldn’t be this bad, despite the current state of the Washington franchise. It is fair to say Poole has regressed in Washington.
