Klay Thompson: Warriors’ Poole looks like ‘seasoned vet’

DENVER — The TV broadcast of Game 3 of the Warriors-Nuggets series caught a rather unique sight late in the fourth quarter Thursday night.

It wasn’t Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson or Andre Iguodala leading the huddle during a timeout after the Nuggets took a two-point lead. No, it was third-year guard Jordan Poole who was hyping up his teammates as they prepared to close out the final three minutes of the game.

“These guys have given me confidence,” Poole said during a post-game TV interview about the interaction.

But before the young gun could finish his thought, Thompson interrupted him, shaking and jumping behind Poole as he repeatedly exclaimed, “It’s a Poole party!”

The 22-year-old, beaming with a smile, continued: “That’s what I’m talking about. We’ve got these guys who push us every single day… They want us to rise to the occasion. Being able to have Steph, Klay, Draymond and Andre, guys that have been here before, they know how important it is to come down the stretch and just being able to give these guys confidence. Young guy or not you can still give guys confidence throughout the game and make sure they lock in and luckily it was a big little talk at the end of the half.”

Poole has more than earned the respect of his elders this season for the way he stepped up and thrived in whatever role the team asked of him. But three games into his first postseason, Poole has received a new level of praise from his teammates.

“He looks like a seasoned vet,” Thompson said after the Warriors beat the Nuggets to take a 3-0 lead in the first-round series. “The shots that he’s making and taking … he’s kind of been our catalyst on offense. JP, I’ve seen him put in so much work behind the scenes that he deserves this. I’m so incredibly proud of him.”

Through three games, Poole, who’s starting in place of Curry as the AllStar works his way back from a foot injury, has scored a combined 86 points while shooting an impressive 66.7% from the field and 59.1% from deep. Poole’s 30-point performance in Game 1 tied for the second most scored by a Warriors player in their playoff debut. And he’s only the 16th player in NBA history to score at least 25 points in his first three career playoff games, joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only Warriors player to accomplish that feat.

“These last three games, I don’t remember a better start for a playoff debut for a guard,” Thompson said. “It’s incredible what Jordan is doing and we need him to go where we want to go and we need him to keep doing what he’s doing.”

Poole’s steadfast confidence has become a trademark of his personality. Even when things haven’t gone his way, like last season when he was demoted to the G League, Poole has never let a sliver of doubt creep into his mind.

And he’s an absolute workhorse and desperate to become the best version of himself. Several veterans have said Poole has been asking about the playoffs and what to expect on the big stage since his first training camp.

Poole said he feels empowered by the team’s veterans to be true to his game and he said every game is a learning experience playing alongside them.

“Being out there with those guys late in the game and in that moment was extremely special because you get to see how focused they are offensively and defensively, how everything matters,” he said, “and just being able to see guys make big shots and make big plays and have laser focus is something that is truly special to be a part of.”