It's Curry's comeback, it's Curry, Thompson and Dream Green playing together again in 1038 days, but their limelight has been stolen by Jordan Poole. On April 17, Beijing time, the Warriors defeated the Nuggets 123-107 in the first game of the playoffs. Poole made a beautiful score on his playoff debut, scoring 30 points and 3 assists, 9 of 13 from the field, 5 of 7 from three-point range and 7 of 8 from the free throw line, becoming the number one contributor to the win.
Curry returned with 16 points and 4 assists, he served as a substitute, originally belonged to Curry's starting position, temporarily handed over to Poole, and Poole proved his worth. ESPN salary expert Bobby Max has laid out the data based on a data model — Poole's current real-time salary is $25.5 million a year, and his actual annual salary this season is $2.16 million. He will be eligible to sign a contract extension this summer. In other words, Poole made $25.5 million worth of $2.16 million a year. Poole can extend his contract with the Warriors for 4 years in the offseason this year, and with his performance this season, it is not difficult to get a four-year, $100 million or more contract.
Poole was the third player in Warriors history to score 30+ in his playoff debut, the top two being Chamberlain (35 points) and Richmond (30 points). Poole also became the league's first player to score 30+ and shoot at least five three-pointers in his playoff debut since Irving in 2015.
In the regular season, the Warriors played against the Nuggets, winning just 1 win and losing 3 losses, including two at home to the Nuggets. However, in the regular season, the Warriors lineup was not complete, and in this game, the Warriors returned to full physical condition. Poole's performance is the most surprising, in the case of the giants are present, he still has a hot performance, not afraid of the stage at all. The Warriors also need Poole's youthful vitality.
Poole scored 17 points on 6-of-6 shooting if he had help in the first half. He continued to threaten in the second half, with 6:22 left in the third quarter, Ande shot long-range three-pointers to stop the Nuggets, who shook his head and danced in celebration, just like Curry did. The Warriors have risen to another giant. And then, the Warriors face the trouble of happiness, wait until Curry is fully recovered, will he let Poole play as a substitute?
The Warriors will also have to prepare a contract for him for 100 million yuan, maybe even a maximum salary contract, but then the Warriors' total salary will skyrocket and other players may need to be purged. Poole's outstanding performance has aroused heated discussion and rushed to the top of the hot search list. This battle is just the beginning of Poole's path to the giants.