Jordan Poole had a spectacular Christmas Day game for the Golden State Warriors in his first 29 minutes of action. It's the last few seconds before getting ejected against the Grizzlies that had to grind on head coach Steve Kerr's gears.
Poole finished with a team-high 32 points and was the stand-in Santa gifting Warriors fans in attendance a show despite Stephen Curry sitting on the sidelines. But his night was marred by the unceremonious exit, and Kerr knows it too, via The Athletic's Anthony Slater:
“He knows that he can’t get a second one,” Steve Kerr said. “He’s still a young player.”
At just 23 years old, he joined Warriors icons Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West as the only ones to record a 30-point Xmas outing at such a young age – a feat Stephen Curry was far from achieving in his two chances to join that list in his younger years. That's less a knock on Curry and more a testament to how advanced Jordan Poole is in such an early stage of his career. It's why Steve Kerr expects more from him than what he showed on Sunday.
“Jordan was fantastic tonight,” Kerr said after the win over the Grizzlies. “We needed his offensive firepower. The great thing with Jordan is I still think he has a level or two to go to really get to the point where he’s reaching his ceiling. That involved playing with poise — whether it’s avoiding the referees or taking care of the ball. But he’s doing a great job competing and helping us stay afloat.”
Poole getting some run as the lead guard is the huge silver lining to Steph Curry's injury. As long as they manage to secure a spot in the playoffs, their regular season struggles can be thrown out the window. What carries over is Jordan Poole's confidence when the games start to matter once again – and, of course, not getting ejected.
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