It's a statistic that won't make it into any team's stat book — the Golden State Warriors shot 69 three-pointers and hit 24 in preseason openers. The Warriors' Jordan Poole made seven three-pointers in 13 shots and submitted an application to the Bay Area to become the No. 3 Splash Brothers.
In three preseason games, Jordan Poole scored a total of 75 points. Poole averaged 25 points per game in just 23.3 minutes per game, and his shooting percentage was as high as 50 percent and his three-point shooting percentage was as high as 44 percent, making him the Warriors' second scoring point after Curry.
The NBA preseason has never been valued by star players, such as after the Lakers suffered a losing streak, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook have expressed a preseason attitude of not being worth mentioning. While preseason certainly isn't as good as in the regular season and playoffs, preseason is very important for the Warriors, a team that has welcomed many new players this season, because it can hone the tacit understanding between players and so on. Poole, who has a brilliant performance, is definitely the Warriors' biggest surprise in preseason.
Against the Portland Trail Blazers, Poole scored 30 points, 5 boards, 5 assists and 1 interception in just 22 minutes, and also delivered 2 hot pots. Poole showed his fiery touch early, hitting an ultra-far three-pointer two and a half minutes before the game began. The third-grade guard has been hot ever since, scoring more efficiently and shooting than Stephen Curry and Damien Lillard.
In the Warriors' 118-116 narrow victory over the Denver Nuggets, Poole scored 17 points in 22 minutes. Although his three-point feel is much cooler in this game than in the previous game against the Blazers, he is still very efficient, he can break through the basket and use force to foul the opponent under the confrontation, so as to score the ball. Last season, this kind of use of strength to score the ball into the round was rare in Poole.
In the third game against the Lakers, Poole continued his highlight performance, scoring 28 points in 25 minutes, including 6-of-13 shooting from outside the three-point line. During the game, Poole made a three-pointer from outside the three-point line after a row of dribbles, quite like Curry.
Fans who know a little bit about Poole know that catching the ball and shooting is the offensive method that Poole uses the most. Last year, receiving shots from outside the three-point line accounted for 42.4 percent of Poole's shooting percentage and 37.8 percent from the field, a modest achievement. Poole dribbled with 29.2 percent from three-point range, or 15.2 percent of his total shots, a figure that is noticeably less than good. So when Poole confidently dribbles and hits a three-pointer, you can feel the excitement that spills over from the Warriors.
oh? Pooler, who originally had no ability to attack on his own, can now make such a move?
Golden State Warriors reporter and columnist Marcus Thompson wrote after the game: Jordan Poole, it's your turn to come to the camera.
Speaking about Poole, 22, Curry said: "I really think he has a chance to be better than I used to be. ”
Of course, discerning people know that this is Curry's encouragement to Poole. In 2009, the 21-year-old Curry was selected by the Warriors with the 7th pick in the first round to enter the NBA, and he averaged 18.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game at the age of 22. Poole is obviously far behind, however, it is also a step forward to get recognition as a superstar as a newcomer to the league.
Last season, Poole played the role of blocker, averaging 2.3 rounds per game, shooting 37.2 percent from the field, and outperforming only 31.8 percent of the league's players. Now, Poole is still playing the block.
"Two years ago, people looked down on him, but I kept saying that Jordan was either going to disappear from the league or be one of the very, very good players in the league because his confidence was overflowing, his confidence was going to take him here, obviously, his efforts are showing up now and I'm proud to be his teammate." Warriors forward Juan Toscano Anderson said in a post-game interview.
"Once Klay gets back" has become the Warriors' battle cry for the 2021-22 season. Once Thompson returns, they will be strong contenders. Once Thompson is back, they'll have extra scoring flashpoints. Once Thompson comes back...
But before Tang Shen can return to the throne, the Warriors must survive the first two months of the season. Over the past two years, the Warriors have been trying to fill the missing starting point guard. Last season, signing Kelly Oubre paid a lot of money, but it didn't work out. The Warriors also did not expect that the replacement they had been looking for was far away.
In the first two seasons of his career, Poole played in 108 games for the Warriors, including 21 starts, averaging just 10.3 points per game, shooting 38.1 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from three-point range. However, since his return from the G-League last season, Poole's performances have been out of control. Poole's sudden rise brought comfort to the warriors.
Poole went from being a rookie who could barely play to a role player and then jumped from role player to important substitute player. Now, he's about to become a starter in the 2021-22 season.
"I don't think there's a ceiling on performance on the pitch with confidence or anything else," Poole said. "You know what? It all depends on the individual and what they want to unlock, and I'm just trying to be the best person I can be. ”
Since the 2018-19 season, Durant has gone away, Klay Thompson has been reimbursed, and the former king has been mired in the mud. The 2019-20 season was last in the league with a record of 15 wins and 50 losses. Even if wiseman, who successfully won the extremely talented Wiseman, could not directly bring a breakthrough in the Warriors' record, after all, a de facto high school student's interior line, no matter how talented, could not immediately become the warriors' internal pillar. In order to make it to the playoffs, Curry gave everything he could to play his best personal performance since 2016, averaging 32 points per game to take the top score. However, they still missed the playoffs.
It seems like this season is going to be different, though it's too early to say so. Poole has seamlessly integrated into the Warriors' starting lineup, and before Thompson returned, the Warriors' backcourt had developed a tacit understanding, and Poole was more proficient in the Warriors system, gradually adapting to the role positioning of the team.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said: "It doesn't matter who's on the court, he's going to get the ball moving and I love that. His self-confidence is exploding, which is a good thing. He did pretty well in the bootcamp, which is what we expected. ”
He's already a skilled player, he knows what he needs to do, he knows when and where to shoot. After Thompson returned, Poole was also valuable. He could play as a sixth man on the bench, as Kerr had already made it clear that Poole would be the team's ace substitute. Poole could probably be the Warriors' Jordan Clarkson.
With the return of meritorious veteran Andre iguodala, the Warriors dressing room seems to have a backbone immediately. Iguodala might be able to tell Poole how to become a second-team leader. The backcourt combination of Poole and Curry has proven to be a promising pair, and their range and scoring efficiency combined pose a significant threat. In addition, Poole has also become stronger, he is no longer knocked backwards and backwards when he cuts in, but on the contrary, he can easily complete the layup after the breakthrough. Similarly, he can stand up to others on the defensive end.
Within the Warriors, few would have doubted Poole's leaps and bounds. The question is how much more progress can be made? Will he become a star player? If he can play an All-Star performance, then the Warriors' answer is at their feet, and they don't need to pay extra assets to continue their great career.
In the new 2021-22 season, the Warriors' lineup is intertwined with veterans and rookies, and Curry is still telling the world that he is at the top with his actual performance. If Thompson returns in a good posture and waits until the splash reunites, the Warriors' comeback is unknown.