Meet two Curry, how will you play the game?
This is probably the most tragic mood for the Nuggets to meet the Warriors in the first round.
Yes, Curry can still be trusted, and in the Warriors' lineup, Poole became the second Curry in the playoffs. As we all know, Poole has had a period of data fluctuations before, but fortunately, Poole in the playoffs has also found his own form. To be honest, watching the Warriors game now is a feeling, as if there are two Curry playing.
One is a real Curry, and the other is a god-like Curry.
Some say Poole will be Curry's new partner and the best person to replace Klay. The main reason why people say this is that Poole's performance on the offensive end is somewhat extreme. Yes, the middle and late Poole can already be as simple as the probe in scoring. The last time curry played this effect, the combination of players was Durant and Clay.
From the perspective of perception and ability, Poole is naturally not a Durant-level figure, and the specific performance is not very similar, so everyone speculates that the Warriors management will most likely let Poole replace Klay's position. After all, Poole's outburst coincided with Clay's recovery. All these coincidences come together, and what everyone thinks of as Poole naturally becomes the most reasonable replacement for Clay.
Here we can first tell you a conclusion: Poole will not replace Clay. Their roles are different, and the Warriors' needs for Poole and Klay are on two levels.
Quite simply, Clay is pure 3D, and Poole is clay's scorer on the same frequency as Curry after his injury, and is the second boss at the tactical level. (After Klay's injury, the risk of instability is too great, so the Warriors must find a new second-in-command player) Curry is also older now, and Poole can also become an arrow figure in the system as a second-in-command.
Having said the macro tactical implications, we can talk about the difference between Clay and Poole. Based on these so-called differences, we can understand the meaning of Poole and Clay. What's the biggest feeling Clay has? Is stable! No player has ever been able to produce as consistently as Clay. This stability can be done not only on the offensive end, but also on the defensive end.
Healthy Clay's best time on the defensive end is the arrow figure who defends against opponents. Because of the strength of the lower limbs and Clay's own defensive habits are very good, clay can basically do not lose position when dealing with different opponents.
On the offensive end, Clay is a three-pointer and a versatile scorer who doesn't have the ball, so Clay's compatibility is the top in history. Any lineup of existing teams, with Clay, can be revitalized, which is the biggest improvement that Clay has given to the team. And this characteristic, now, in the future, is basically unlikely to appear in Poole. Or rather, Poole is not a good fit for this path. Poole himself is not known for his ability to not have the ball, and his threat to hold the ball is the greatest contribution to the Warriors.
To be honest, Poole also feels stable. This stability comes from Poole's habit of holding the ball, and he rarely plays blindly. Poole's observation of the situation on the pitch has almost become an instinctive habit. After getting the rebound in the backcourt, Poole's first choice is to look at the specific situation on the field. It is to follow up after watching the player's position. As a player who can hold the ball, Poole's habit ensures that the systematic tactics he implements will not make mistakes in the personal port as much as possible. Isn't that a steady sign?
In this area, Poole and Clay are two paths. Clay did have more ball-carrying output after the injury. But this kind of ball holding, compared to the traditional type of ball holding players, is only a small proportion.
Some people may say that Poole's passing ability is also very general, so his ball holding probability is also transformed into an autonomous attack, which should not be a mobilization of the overall situation. There is nothing wrong with this statement in essence, because the most crucial point that Poole has shown this season is that he does not have the ability to pass the ball, which is also the main factor limiting his threat again.
Poole can't pass the ball as he pleases, nor can he point out where to play like an established point guard. Poole's help to the team is more reflected in a threat of ball holding, through assistance to create the right opportunities. It is the opportunity after the cooperation that is good enough for Poole to help his teammates, which emphasizes the need to have the ability to cooperate with teammates. This is similar to Clay, but Clay's cooperation comes from no ball, so whether there is a connection or not depends on what you are using as a criterion for differentiation.
As a defender whose flaw in the rookie report is his lack of defensive experience, Poole is likely not able to improve his defensive ability to the same level as Clay. He struggles against attacking players who are covered in fake moves because Poole often eats. No coach wants his main player to have too obvious shortcomings in his position, not to mention that Clay's initial task is to help Curry assist in defense. As a result, Clay's position is irreplaceable, and the effects Poole can provide are in multiple other ways. The best outcome would be, Klay, Curry, Poole, as the Warriors' backcourt-driven powered nose.
Back to what I said at the beginning of this article, why we say double guns. In fact, you can see that whether Klay is playing or not, Curry is now the most matched with Poole. Because Poole is currently the only player on the Warriors team who can do the same frequency as Curry. Curry's high-turn-rate play requires a speed-type high-scoring teammate as a coping support. Curry got the ball, hoping that his teammates had already started running and that he could pass the ball out at the right time. And Poole is the best at all the players at the moment.
It is often Curry who gets the ball, Poole is ready to catch the ball, a set of procedures down to the eye, but also can have a good effect. Clay could have done this before, but since his injury, Clay's ability to run and jump has dropped dramatically, and it is naturally impossible to play this role in the system again. For Poole, it is the most suitable and promising choice. (At first fans thought it would be Wiggins, but now it seems that Wiggins's role is more defensive, and the offensive end can only be used as a regular point.) The Warriors' new double gun is not meant to replace anyone, they are still serving the system.