SAN FRANCISCO — Jordan Poole hit a snag over the last week.
Poole had seemed to be finding his stride at the end of last month but has since looked out of sync.
Coach Steve Kerr knew Poole needed something to kick him out of his early-season rut Monday. That’s why he tapped the struggling fourth-year guard to start the second half of the Warriors’ comeback win over the Sacramento Kings alongside the starters.
That lineup jumped to a 16-5 run to start the half, cutting the Kings’ once 12-point lead down to one twice in the first six minutes of the third quarter. But Poole never really got going in what was another underwhelming outing.
Poole finished with just two points, going 1-for-4 from the field in 22 minutes and missing both attempts from deep. He also uncharacteristically missed a free throw. And while he had three assists, Poole accounted for three of the team’s 15 turnovers.
That game continued a tough stretch for the 23-year-old whose shortcomings are spotlighted even more while Kerr tries to find stability within the second unit. Over the last four games, Poole has shot a measly 29.5% (13-of-44), including 20.8% from deep (5-of-24). He’s tallied more turnovers per game (4.3) than assists (four) during that stretch, too.
Kerr remains confident in Poole and believes he’ll regain his rhythm and, in turn, confidence soon enough.
“This happens especially with young players,” Kerr said after the game. “It’s such a long season, you go through some sort of funks and I have no doubt JP will get out of it. And we’ll do everything we can to help him but he’s a really talented young guy and we know what he’s capable of.”
Poole is at his best when he strikes a balance between creating shots for himself while also playmaking for others. The Warriors know he’s more than capable of finding that equilibrium, with a prime example coming toward the end of last season when Poole stepped up in place of an injured Stephen Curry. Right now, though, neither is happening on a consistent basis.
Poole seems to be overthinking and overdribbling. Kerr suggested he was doing too much after the Warriors’ loss to the New Orleans Pelicans over the weekend. Stephen Curry also said Poole can’t force his game.
“For the most part, it’s just continuing to stay confident,” Curry said. “He’s on the scouting report for most teams now, he’s not going to sneak up on anybody, but you got to kind of let the game come to you.”
Poole hasn’t been the high-volume scorer and valuable ballhandler and facilitator that helped earn him a four-year rookie extension at the start of this season, though that hasn’t been because of a lack of effort.
It’s clear the ultra-competitive and confident Poole is bothered by his underperformance. Poole went to the Warriors’ practice court and was seen putting up shots 45 minutes after the Kings’ game, NBC Sports Bay Area reported. Poole’s commitment is there, it just hasn’t clicked yet this season. And the second unit will continue to flounder until he rediscovers his scoring touch.
“We’ve had a lot of conversations around that, like how I see the game and how he sees the game. And again, just instilling the confidence that he’s that guy out there,” Curry said. “He’s going to help us win games, he won a championship last year. So you have to maintain your confidence through some rough patches and not let it attack the way you carry yourself out there so that’s his biggest challenge and I think he’ll be up for it.”
