The warriors of the Steve Cole era, the phenomenon of inner rolling is extremely serious. David Lee returned from an injury to find that his starting big forward position had been "snatched" away by Draymond Green. Andre Iguodala was in his current year, but was squeezed to the bench by Harrison Barnes to play for the sixth man.
This season, the Warriors' inner roll has grown to the guard line. Stephen Curry has played two consecutive games as a substitute since his return from injury, although this is the result of his active sacrifice in order to find form and not destroy the team's chemistry, but now that Jordan Pooler is so strong, Kerr has to face a happy trouble: When Curry's physical and competitive state are fully restored, will Curry return to the starting lineup? Is Poole going to go to the bench to play the sixth man?
With Curry's position in the Warriors, it seems that this should not be a problem, and healthy Curry should certainly start. But Poole's recent performance is so strong that even the Warriors general did not dare to say "Poole should play a substitute for Curry" when asked this question.
After a training trip for the first two years of his career, Poole has continued to create surprises this season. In the regular season, Poole averaged 63.78 touches per game, twice as many as the first two seasons of his career, averaged 8.18 breakthroughs per game, increased his main stats to an average of 18.5 points per game plus 4 assists, his three-point shooting rate of 36.4% was a career high, his three-point shooting rate since March exceeded 40%, and his breakthrough shooting rate exceeded 52%. In Curry's injury absence, Poole averaged more than 20 points per game, combining production and efficiency.
"He's proven to be a deadly scorer, he's earned his current position with his performances and hard work," Kerr praised Poole, but when looking at the prospects of Poole's first playoff trip, he still seemed a little uneasy, "but, I also know, this is his first playoff trip, he has not yet felt what targeted adjustments opponents will make in the playoffs, opponents will target him on the defensive end, the playoffs are different from the regular season, he has to experience it firsthand, it will be a great experience for him." ”
Many people, including Kerr, will think that Poole's main goal in this year's playoffs will be to accumulate experience, and the Warriors will still rely heavily on veterans to play. Unexpectedly, Curry had just recovered from injury and suffered a time limit to give Poole a chance. Poole also did not give in, playing a shocking jaw-dropping performance.
In his playoff debut, Poole shot 9-of-13, including 7-of-5 from three-point range, 7-of-8 free throws, 30 points, 3 assists and only three turnovers. Whether he was on the floor with the Warriors' other four starters, or with Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Green, he was extremely good. Curry is not present, and Poole can play the role curry played before. Curry was on the floor, and Poole was able to do a second ball-holding point like 76ers guard Maxi, scoring points by counter-attacking and shooting without the ball.
Poole's playoff debut was eye-catching, today's second game with the Nuggets Poole continued to start, Curry continued to serve as a substitute, it is said that the Nuggets should make adjustments to Poole, Keppel played 34 minutes and shot 16 of 10, including 5 of 10 three-pointers, 4 free throws to win 29 points plus a team-high 8 assists, he also grabbed 5 rebounds, sent 2 steals and 1 block, and had excellent performances at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends. When the Warriors played against the wind at the beginning, Poole had a lot of flashes. After entering the tailwind game, Poole's set of combos helped the Warriors open up the point difference.
It turns out that Poole learned a lot from practicing with Curry every day, in addition to Curry's signature ball-holding shot, ultra-long three-point shooting, and dexterous layups, Poole even learned curry's tumultuous back pass.
If placed in other teams, Poole would definitely lock in a starting spot. Keppel plays for the Warriors, the Splash Brothers are in the name of the Warriors, they are both Warriors totem figures, as long as Curry and Thompson are healthy, It is difficult for Poole to squeeze one of them into the starting lineup. Curry played 23 minutes in the second game of his comeback and shot 12 of 17, including 5 of 10 three-pointers, a team-high 34 points on 5-of-7 free throws, plus-minus +32 points on the field, and his form gradually returned to the peak, as long as he wants, he can return to the starting lineup at any time. Next, Cole inevitably faces the annoyance of happiness.
The easiest thing to do, of course, is to have Curry replace Poole as the starter, and Poole returns to the sixth man position. But Poole's starting performance is so prominent, and he started with Curry at the beginning of the season, and his performance was also very eye-catching, directly letting Poole play as a substitute seems a bit violent.
But Kerr has already stressed in interviews that he is unlikely to have Thompson on the bench. Thompson had been in the starting lineup when he was in poor form before, and now that his form is back, Kerr is even less likely to let Thompson replace him. Green is in a solid position, so that the only people who are likely to be squeezed out by Poole are Wiggins and Looney. Wiggins has no experience as a substitute in the Warriors, he is not suitable for this role, and the Warriors are counting on him to take over the opponent's flanks and backcourt attackers on the defensive end. Looney also had to top Jokic to help Green score points in the opening game, so as not to get Green into foul trouble early. Each of the Warriors' key players has their own value, which makes Kerr very troubled when making choices.
"It wasn't an easy decision," Green said, embarrassed by Cole.
Judging from the attitude of the Warriors coach and Poole himself, when Curry returns to the starting lineup, Poole will most likely return to the bench. However, Poole does not need to worry about playing time and ball rights as before. Kerr has promised that no matter what role Poole plays, he will play a lot of time, it does not matter whether he starts or substitutes, he will give Poole plenty of opportunities to perform.
"Yeah, absolutely, he's already another playmaker around Curry, and he can also replace Curry, he's one of our best shooting chance creators, and we're going to use him that way," Kerr said.
Green also said: "Curry's return does not mean that we will deprive Pooler of the ball, he has done great before, his presence has given us an extra weapon, and Poole can also play some tactics with the ball." Curry is definitely still the main ball point, but Poole can also play some tactics, which is our heavyweight weapon. ”
Through Curry's performances during his injury and his performances in the first two games of the playoffs, Poole has established himself at the core. In the last two games, Poole has been the key component of the Warriors' new version of the Death Five, and it can even be said that Poole is one of the keys to the opening of this five-small lineup. The Warriors' dominance over the Nuggets is so amazing that Poole's role in it is crucial. He may not be able to play at the beginning of the game in the future, but he will definitely be present at the end of the game.
Curry may not be willing to play as a substitute for Poole all the time, and his current substitution is only a stopgap measure, but Curry has recognized Poole's strength from the bottom of his heart.
'Poole has this ability, you can have him with the ball to block and you can also let him play without the ball, he is now a key component of our five-squad and he proves that he can shine at any moment.