Wizards reveal intriguing Jordan Pool plan
The Washington Wizards don't have their whole rotation squared away yet, but one thing is for certain: this will be the season of "Point Poole." A relative of the "Poole Party," moniker, it alludes to the imminent unleashing of second-year Wizard Jordan Poole .
Poole will play point guard and handle the ball for Washington, via Monumental Sports Network's Bijan Todd.
The Michigan alum struggled out of the gate last season but heated up post-All-Star break after switching to the point and primary ball-handler. Poole averaged 20.9 points on 43.4% shooting with 5.8 assists and 35.9% from deep across 26 contests.
If Poole can match or even improve on those numbers, he could establish himself as a long-term option for the Wizards. However, can he facilitate the offense on a high level across a full season?
The Wizards are the perfect team for Jordan Poole
Poole has had a rocky time recently. The Golden State Warriors traded the 2019 first-round pick after Draymond Green punched him in training camp before last season, and got benched after struggling early in Washington. However, he's in a good position to bounce back due to his positional alignment and having a full year under his belt to adjust to the nation's capital.
Fellow veteran Kyle Kuzma sees a new Poole this year, via Go4itRadio (9:37).
"From last year, to over the summer, to now, I think Jordan is a much different person," Kuzma said. "I think he's more relaxed, I think he's more at home, I think for him, coming to a new situation off the first time of his career was probably really, really hard and a little bit different."
Poole went from being a role player on the Warriors' 2022 championship squad to carrying a struggling team on his shoulders on the opposite side of the country, along with Kuzma.
"Everybody moves and develops at a different pace, so you gotta give people grace... I love where he's at from a mentality standpoint," he continued. "I think that he's Jordan Poole. I don't think last year he necessarily was. He was a little bit quiet, a little bit standoffish... I think that I see more of what Jordan Poole is now."
Poole is in the second year of his four-year, $128 million rookie extension he signed with Golden State. If the 6-foot-4, 194-pounder excels this year, it'll be hard for Washington to get rid of him.
General manager Will Dawkins and the rest of the new-look Wizards front office paired second-year guard Bilal Coulibaly with 2024 draftees Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George to form a promising young core. However, Poole is still young enough to become an upper-echelon player and become a pillar of Washington's future alongside them.
This season will go a long way toward determining that fate. However, Poole put up good numbers with a limited supporting cast as point guard last year on a 15-67 team. With the additions of the rookies as well as veterans like Jonas Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon, the Milwaukee native should have the necessary floor spacing and catch-and-shoot options surrounding him to excel.
While Poole is known more for scoring than passing, he could be considered indispensable if he unlocks Sarr's potential offensively. The No. 2 overall pick shot just 9-of-47 from the field in Summer League, so he could use Poole's veteran help to get him open looks and improve his confidence on that end of the floor.
