Jordan Poole has become a lightning rod for controversy and criticism in the aftermath of the punch heard around the world that he took from former Golden State Warriors teammate Draymond Green. Poole's actions became magnified, especially amid the Warriors' topsy-turvy 2022-23 season, and fans soured on him when he didn't take as big of a leap as they thought he would after signing a four-year, $128 million extension with the team.

Now, Poole is entering the 2023-24 season with the Washington Wizards with the hopes of shedding all the labels fans have placed upon him in the aftermath of his ugly exit from the Warriors. But Kyle Kuzma, Poole's Wizards teammate, contests that there's not even a need for the much-maligned guard to do so, as behind the scenes, Poole is as consummate a professional as it gets.

“[Jordan Poole is] super misunderstood. You may look at him and see him in Golden State and be like, ‘Ok, he might be a little immature', this or that, but like this dude is one of the most professional athletes I've been around. Actual professional. He's in the gym, like that dude works,” the Wizards forward said.

Not too many improve to the degree Jordan Poole has without having exceptional work ethic; as Warriors fans will recall, Poole began his career as an infuriatingly inefficient shot-chucker who needed reps in the G-League given how raw he was. But now, sure, Poole has his moments as an infuriatingly inefficient shot-chucker, but on most nights, Poole is a danger to go off for 30, or maybe even 40 points like he did against the New York Knicks during preseason on Wednesday night.

The Wizards combo guard is also only 24 years old, so he has plenty of room to grow, especially since Kyle Kuzma revealed that Poole is taking more of a cerebral approach to the game, even in preseason.

“We'll call each other after games and like just talk about the game. Not many people are really doing that in this era of NBA and also care enough to do those types of things. He's super misunderstood, he's so talented, electric,” Kuzma added.

Perhaps with his tumultuous Warriors stint coming to an end and a fresh start awaiting him with the Wizards, Jordan Poole's career truly takes off from here.