What Jordan Poole discovered about himself following the Warriors-Wizards trade was first published on NBC Sports Bay Area.
Jordan Poole will forever have a position in Warriors lore.
The former first-round decision was a crucial contributor to the Warriors’ NBA championship in 2022. Without him, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala are unlikely to achieve their fourth NBA championship in eight years.
These days, Poole resides near the nation’s capital after the Warriors traded him to the Washington Wizards in the Chris Paul blockbuster this summer. Poole, who served as an offensive spark plug off the bench for the Warriors for the past two seasons, is now constructing his own nucleus alongside Kyle Kuzma, Tyus Jones, and a multitude of young players.
On Monday, at Wizards Media Day, Poole was asked what he has learned the most over the past 15 months. In a span of roughly 15 months, he won a championship, celebrated with a motorcade through the streets of San Francisco, and was traded to Washington.
“Resilience, naturally. “I like it,” Poole stated. “Excessive prepartion. Simply being able to absorb everything I’ve taken in to the greatest extent at all times. … I have never taken it for granted. The opportunity to implement everything I’ve learned to a truly unique circumstance [in Washington] from scratch.”
Poole served as Curry’s backup for four seasons. Few players can be compared to the Warriors superstar, but Poole’s offensive outbursts occasionally mirrored Curry’s signature Flurries. It is the reason he received a four-year, $125 million contract extension last autumn.
Now in Washington, Poole applies both the on-court and off-court lessons learned from Curry and his Warriors veterans. No longer is he the first player off the bench in Steve Kerr’s rotation. He is compensated to be the primary building element of the Wizards.
“As a young basketball player, you want to become the face of the franchise,” said Poole. “It’s a really cool situation because I feel like I’ve learned, I’ve asked a lot of questions to be prepared for this moment. We’ve also got guys in the locker room who are also ready for this as well.”
The Warriors and Wizards square off twice this year — on Dec. 22 at Chase Center and Feb. 27 in D.C. There will be plenty of talk about Poole’s return, and the internet will be bracing for any beef between him and Green.
Nobody can repeat what Curry has done for the Warriors franchise over the last 14 seasons. But Poole has the blueprint, and now it’s up to him to see what he can do with it in Washington.
