Poole has learned a lot during past year
Golden State guard got 4-year extension before tough season
What was the biggest thing Jordan Poole learned from a volatile season that saw him get punched by a teammate, sign a nine-figure extension and end with a role reduction and intense scrutiny on the game's biggest stage?
“I learned a lot of stuff,” Poole said. “I don't know. I don't know.”
Poole spoke Saturday morning at Chase Center after his exit interview, just about 13 hours after the Warriors' season ended in Los Angeles with a loss to the Lakers. Poole had another rough night Friday, only tallying seven points on 3-of-10 shooting and missing all three 3-pointers.
It wrapped up a really difficult series for the fourth-year guard. After a 21-point effort in Game 1, Poole only scored 29 points in the last five games, making just 13- of 43 shots (30.2%) and just 1 of 17 3-pointers (5.9%).
The struggles on the court seemed to be met by visible frustration from Poole throughout the Western Conference semifinals. Poole was shown expressing his displeasure at being substituted out early in Game 4, a game in which he played 10 minutes and didn't score a single point for the only time this season. After that game, Poole faced inward toward his locker while answering questions from the media.
The on-court struggles and offcourt frustration are part of why, entering the offseason, Poole is being identified as a possible candidate to be traded away by the Warriors. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith advocated for the Warriors to do that this week on First Take, even before the series ended.
With the spotlight on him only likely to increase, how does Poole handle the noise?
“It just comes with it. The stuff that we are seeing people say now, whether it's on social media, Instagram, Twitter, these are the same people that were saying the same things 20 years ago. They just didn't have the outlet,” Poole said. “They didn't have the opportunity to; they were just reading newspapers or listening to the radio. So like I said, it's 2023, and it's what we grew up in, our generation. We've got to adjust, adapt. I feel like we are used to it.
“We are all out here to play hard and try to win games.”
The 24-year-old wasn't in the most forthright mood Saturday, answering a question on what message he received in his exit interview: “Not sure I can share that information.”
How does Poole evaluate himself in games where he doesn't perform his best?
“I think every player wants to go
out and have a good game every game, and it doesn't work that way sometimes,” Poole said. “Find ways to get better. Find ways to learn. You can always add to your game or your skill set, and definitely looking forward to that.”
So what does Poole want to add to his skill set, then?
“There are so many things that you can always add to your game,” Poole said. “Probably sit down, evaluate, think what's best. That's what the summer's for. Wish I had answers for you but I don't.”
Poole did admit that he felt his role changed between last year's playoff run and this
year's, and it really fluctuated perhaps more than for anyone on the roster.
After signing a four-year, $128 million extension before the season, Poole bounced in and out of the starting lineup, starting 47 of 95 games, and saw his minutes per game drop from 30 in the regular season to 21.8 in the playoffs, something his teammates
know is not easy.
“It's not easy to have your role change from game to game and week to week,” Kevon Looney said. “There were times Steph was out, (Andrew Wiggins) is out (and) he's carrying us and playing 35, 40 minutes and taking a lot of shots and holding down the fort. And other times he's coming off the bench and playing spot
minutes. I think he did a good job handling that.”
Poole's minutes also dropped in the playoffs because his performance on the court did. His scoring average dipped by nearly half, from 20.4 in the regular season to 10.3 in the postseason. He had one fewer assist per game (4.5 to 3.5) and his 3-point shooting cratered to 25.4% (in the playoffs last year, Poole shot 39.1% from deep).
Given that the tumultuous season started with Poole getting punched in the face by Draymond Green, it'd be fair to wonder if that moment lingered. But Poole didn't think so when asked.
“We made it to the second round of the playoffs. We had a good season,” Poole said.