G League is helping rookie Poole regain his confidence
It seemed that with every shot Jordan Poole took in Golden State, his chances of staying in the game depended on whether or not it went in.
Coaches and teammates often credited Poole, 20, for unwavering confidence. However, as he made a league-worst 25.4% of his shots in 29 games this season, his minutes fluctuated until, eventually, they were reduced to nothing.
Last week, Golden
State sent Poole, the
No. 28 pick in June’s
NBA Draft, to their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz to get his development on track, and they aren’t putting a date on when they expect him back in San Francisco.
After two games in the G League, Poole is getting a chance to play extended minutes without fear of making mistakes. The low-pressure environment of Santa Cruz is providing Poole with a stage to showcase the potential the Warriors saw when they drafted him out of Michigan.
“It was good to see him play a lot of minutes and get the confidence going in his shot,” Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said. “A big part of sending him there was to let him play and let him feel the game. So I think that part has been good.”
In Poole’s G League debut in Stockton, he posted 23 points on 8-for-17 shooting (2 for 8 from 3-point range), eight rebounds and seven assists in 37 minutes.
One night later in Santa Cruz, he finished with 31 points on 11-for-23 shooting (5 for 10 from 3-point range) five rebounds, four assists and three steals in 36 minutes.
“Just continuing to be aggressive,” Poole said. “I think I’m a player who makes plays, puts other players in the best situation and tries to make other players around me better.”
While Poole’s impressive stats are encouraging, Golden State is focused on Poole building habits that will help him at the NBA level. That includes boxing out, executing the game plan consistently and understanding opposing coverages.
In other words, “All the stuff that rookies have to figure out,” Kerr said. “That’s the whole purpose in terms of what we want him to do in Santa Cruz.”
Poole will travel with the G League team on its upcoming four-game trip that started Friday in Salt Lake City and won’t be back in Santa Cruz until Jan. 18.
After that, there is no timetable for when he will be called up by Golden State.
“I’m just down here, having fun with the guys,” Poole said from the Santa Cruz locker room. “Being able to play basketball, go out there and play big minutes and find ways to help contribute to wins — it’s fun.”