The Golden State Warriors have built a championship culture over the last decade, with stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. As these three stars get closer to the twilight of their careers, the Warriors have to start looking at the future. One player who is a key player on the team now and could be a star in the future is guard Jordan Poole.
Poole is going into his third season with the Dubs. He is a scorer. Last season Poole appeared in 51 games playing 19.4 minutes and averaged 12.0 points. He recorded a career-high 38 points in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans. His growth in his second season could have had some to do with playing with Curry.
During an appearance on ClutchPoints Warriors Multiverse podcast with Mark Haynes, Poole talked about his relationship with Curry.
“It's amazing. First of all, Steph is big bro. I ask him questions all the time,” Poole told ClutchPoints.
Poole is constantly working on his game. He is a gym rat and student of the game. The kid from Milwaukee, WI, also recognizes that basketball is mental, and the hard work you put on your body isn't the only thing that makes you elite in the NBA. When Poole is in Warriors practice sessions with Curry, he enjoys them and takes full advantage of the opportunity.
“It's year three for me, and I think this is year 13 for Steph. I'm ten years of knowledge behind, and that's the guy that I want to ask questions,” Poole continues. “It's amazing, and we're both competitive, and we always want to get better. Whenever we go against each other, it's always competitive, and we try to push each other as much as possible. I try to push him to let him be as great as he can be. I try to learn as much as possible from him.”
Last year the practices were limited, and the season was slightly shorter due to the condensed schedule. The 2021-22 season is back to the regular timeline of things. It should be helpful to Poole's development and, more importantly, the team's success.
Last season was a tough one for the Warriors. They were rarely able to practice because of the short season. It hurt the young Dubs tremendously. It didn't allow the team and newcomers to click the way they should. The Warriors missed the playoffs for the second straight year. This time around, the Bay Area's team is looking forward to key pieces returning, and they have different plans for the new season.
“I think we have a really good team this year. It's going to be an exciting season. We're extremely talented. We're going to be back at full health,” Poole told ClutchPoints. “I'm just trying to find ways to really impact our team in the best possible way. We got a lot of young guys. We also have a lot of experience, and I think we're all just ready and eager to get back to the playoffs and try to make a run.”
In Poole's rookie season, it looked like he was trying too hard. He was sent to the team's G-League team to get more playing time and figure things out. Poole did just that. His confidence never wavered, and when he returned to the team, he was a much better player. He discovered his role with the Warriors and now can focus on efficiently thriving in that position.
“It just feels comfortable already knowing what they want me to do. What they're allowing me to do. How aggressive they want me to be, and being able to make plays and play my game, and incorporating that with Klay (Thompson), Steph (Curry), Draymond (Green, and the other guys. Finding ways to pull it all together is definitely going to be exciting,” Poole told ClutchPoints.
If the Warriors can remain healthy and put everything together, the team should return to the postseason with no problem. The task after that would be making a run towards an NBA championship. That's something Golden State believes they can do, and Poole would play a primary role in helping that happen. It's something he is aware of and yearns for the challenge.
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