Untenable on this series against Denver, Jordan Poole impresses all observers of the orange ball. We almost forget that these are… his first Playoffs.
28.7 points, 4.7 assists, 3 rebounds, 67% shooting including 59% from afar. But who owns this line of stats that combines both scoring and efficiency? Kevin Durant? No. Jayson Tatum? No. Stephen Curry? Always not. These neat stats belong to a boy who, a week ago, had never played a playoff game in his life. Yeah, we’re talking about Jordan Poole, the nugget made in Golden State. No more pool jokes or volatile nicknames for the Warriors combo guard, it’s time to give respect to a boy who sends very, very heavy for his baptism of fire in the postseason. We will soon say that the Splash Brothers are three at this rate. Fun fact: do you know How many points did Michael Jordan score in his first three playoff games? 88. With 27 points tonight, Poole stopped his counter at 86, two small units behind His Airness. JP even allows himself some finishes worthy of the legend of the Bulls, like this indecent reverse lay-up of ease this night against Denver.
With the gradual return of Stephen Curry as sixth man, one would have thought that Klay Thompson was going to take the offensive lead but no, it is Jordan Poole who is Steve Kerr’s number one offensive option. It must be said that the kid exploded the gauge of confidence and everything he does seems to succeed. We talked about it at the start of the series, the big difficulty for Denver would be to have to manage the many threats on the Warriors side. With a Poole at this level, the Nuggets find themselves in a hell of a mess because they can’t afford to let go of the Splash Brothers with one sole and there’s a guy who is averaging almost 29 points next door.. How do you do ? You double cross it and you leave the best all-time shooter or his sidekick free? Well let’s see, it looks like a nice program. It now remains to be seen if this big heat stroke can be maintained, knowing that the player will (logically) find the bench as soon as Steph Curry is judged at 100% of his abilities. Come on Steve Kerr, leave us the Chef as the sixth man and get the Larry O’Brien with Jordan Poole as Finals MVP. Imagine the goofy scenario if that happened. Okay, we’re kidding, but still…
Jordan Poole has been the Warriors’ form man since the start of the Playoffs and he’s been impressing every game. Big 3 experience has often been mentioned as a key element of a big playoff run, but it’s a rookie who could play the X factors in the Bay in the spring.
Source stats: BasketBall-Reference / StatMuse
