The NBA regular season continued, with the Warriors narrowly beating the Heat and Warriors scoring guard Poole excelling. On the field, he shot 32 points and five assists on 12-of-17 shooting, and when Curry was feeling sluggish and only 3-of-17 shooting, Poole stepped forward to save the Warriors.
This is another time That Poole has saved the Warriors, and it's also the time he's stepped forward again when Curry's hand is down.
The Heat specifically wanted to stop Poole, but neither Lowry defending him, nor Hiro, Martin and others facing him, failed to stop his outburst on the offensive end. Even Butler and Tucker had to come to defend him from time to time, but the effect was still not ideal.
This is a direct reflection of Poole's existing strength. This season, Poole averaged a career-high 18.1 points per game, a significant improvement from last season's 12 points per game. While the three-pointer isn't yet stable, it doesn't affect Poole's play on the offensive end.
So far this season, Poole has become the Warriors' third-largest scorer, behind Curry and Wiggins, and has become an indispensable player for the Warriors.
He has played well against many opponents. With a big road win over Durant and Harden's Nets, he scored 17 points. Beating the Lakers led by James, Davis and Westbrook, he scored 20 points. Before the big win over the Raptors, he scored 33 points. Against the Suns, he also had a 28-point performance.
Such performances also allow Poole to gain the unlimited trust of head coach Kerr and his teammates. So, even if Thompson's comeback is imminent, it will be difficult for him to affect Poole's starting position. One is that Thompson still needs a lot of time to find his feelings, after all, he has been injured for more than two consecutive seasons, how he will be after his comeback is still questionable, and the Warriors can't let him play too long in the first place.
Second, Poole is now performing very well, the Warriors' rotation system is very stable, and the Warriors cannot hastily break up the current lineup for Thompson.
Therefore, even if Thompson returns, it is likely that he will still be Poole's replacement. Only when Thompson recovers very well and Poole doesn't perform well will the Warriors be able to adjust the starting lineup.