The Golden State Warriors pulled away from the Washington Wizards in Jordan Poole's return to Chase Center on Friday night, winning 129-118. Let's dive into three in-depth Warriors reactions from their fourth straight win of 2023-24.`
Trayce Jackson-Davis dominates
Washington isn't exactly loaded with top-tier talent or intimidating size up front. But the extent to which Jackson-Davis dominated on the offensive glass and as a finisher Friday night made it pretty obvious he would've made another game-changing impact for Golden State no matter the level of competition.
The rookie scored 10 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench, five of those boards coming off teammate's misses. He was reliable and disruptive as a back-line help defender, also flashing real nuance and feel playing two in pick-and-roll.
But Jackson-Davis, no surprise, flashed most pogo-sticking around the rim for high-flying acrobatic finishes. He finished alley-oop dunks from Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski, narrowly failing to connect on another from Chris Paul. Even his misses earned oohs and aahs from an ever-adoring home crowd, and rightfully so.
Jackson-Davis is in the near dunker spot when Moses Moody lets fly in the clip below, but revs up with two quick steps before soaring across the paint for a putback that clanks in and out.
There's simply no denying it anymore. Kevon Looney still has a role for the Warriors, especially situationally, and will always be a revered presence on the bench and in the locker room. The Dubs are just so much more dynamic and lively on both ends with Jackson-Davis at the 5, a positional battle that the eventual return of Draymond Green shouldn't change.
Maybe the rook doesn't start at any point as the 82-game grind continues, Steve Kerr content to play Looney for a single opening stint in the first half before re-assessing at intermission with Jackson-Davis or going small. But that won't change what's increasingly obvious every time he steps on the floor: Jackson-Davis must get more minutes than Looney going forward for Golden State to be its best.
Jonathan Kuminga does the little things
Kuminga's performance might've been just as loud as his first-year teammate's. He and Jackson-Davis played just six minutes together on Friday, but the frequency of their combined energy, athletic pop and overt physicality made it seem like far more.
Coming into the game at 5-of-10 from deep in four games as a full-time starter, Kuminga hit one of his two three-point attempts against the Wizards, smoothly splashing a triple in Poole's face when given too much breathing room on the right wing. His stroke looks better than ever, but there are still concerns about spacing with Kuminga playing extended stretches next to Jackson-Davis. Their tandem gravity and ability to move without the ball mitigates those worries somewhat, though.
Kerr should give lineups featuring Kuminga and Jackson-Davis a longer look in the second half of his team's home back-to-back versus the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. No matter who he's playing with, though, Kuminga will become a true fixture for Golden State soon if he embraces dirty work and the extra pass with the commitment he did in the win over Washington.
These are all value-add dimes from Kuminga, further indicators of his burgeoning maturity as a decision-maker and ability to read the floor.
Kerr begged Kuminga to fight on the glass with this much pointed aggression coming into the season. He's getting close to making it a habit, routinely coming out of his area to corral offensive boards.
Kuminga went 9-of-11 from the field on Friday, finishing with 22 points, four rebounds and three assists while hitting his first six shots making multiple highlight-reel plays. It's the blend of confidence, comfort and tenacity he showed within the team construct that's most encouraging about another standout performance, though.
Jordan Poole's familiar return
With Green banned from attending games at Chase Center, there was nothing mutual love and respect—let alone controversy—from both parties regarding Poole's initial return to the Warriors. Still, watching Chris Paul manage the game masterfully en route to 10 of Golden State's 33 assists as Poole hoisted bad shots and was exploited defensively served as a stark reminder of just how much he's struggled since Green punched him in the face last fall.
Poole's rough final numbers—25 points on 7-of-21 from the field and 3-of-12 from deep—don't tell an ugly enough story about his night. These disastrous, head-scratching decisions definitely do, even before accounting for the fact he was the most damaging defender on the floor.
The ultra-skilled, brashly confident player who was indispensable to the Dubs' 2022 championship run—shooting an incredible 62.7% on twos as a high-usage scorer in the playoffs—isn't the same one who returned to Chase Center on Friday. Here's hoping Poole can tap back into that personal peak at some point before this season ends and his status in the league diminishes much further.
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