SAN FRANCISCO, CA – It was a night without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins for the Golden State Warriors. However, it was also a night Dub Nation added another victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. With the win, the team improved to 38-33 during the regular season with just one game remaining.

Second-year guard Jordan Poole played the role of Curry in Friday's game, scoring a career-high 38 points in the victory. Two of his 38 points came on a go-ahead bucket that put the Dubs up for good with 21.4 seconds remaining.

Poole was the Warriors' 28th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and spent most of his rookie year in the NBA G-League. Head coach Steve Kerr was very impressed with Poole's performance while also hinting at his potential role even when Klay Thompson eventually returns for the Warriors.

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“As you saw tonight and as you've seen over the last couple of months, as we look ahead, I think he's going to be a Sixth Man. I think he's really capable of getting twenty any night,” the Warriors coach told ClutchPoints.

Poole played in the G-League during the first half of this season. Since being added back to the Warriors' active roster, he's been a different player, transforming into the team's most reliable scoring option off the bench.

“It's a hell of a draft choice by Bob (Myers). It's not easy to find somebody at 28th who can come in and do what Jordan can do. He's very skilled, and the biggest thing is Jordan has just worked really hard for the last year in particular. After his rookie season, I think he realized how far he had to go, and he's worked to get here, worked really hard. I'm so very happy for Jordan,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr delightfully said.

Poole understands the position he's in and says he's only worried about doing what's best for the team. Helping his team beat the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday is what's next for the young prospect. After that will come the play-in tournament. Regardless of what happens Saturday, the Golden State Warriors will need to beat the Grizzles Sunday night in order to retain possession of their eighth seed.