SAN FRANCISCO — Jordan Poole makes you say “what the f--k" for better and worse. There might not be a player in basketball that makes you scratch your head, then leap for joy, more than Poole. The amount of oh-no to oh-yes moments is exhausting to track. On Thursday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, the dichotomy of Poole was on full display.
After scoring zero points in the first quarter and nine points in the second, Poole exploded for 22 points in the third. He found the hot hand midway through. With 8:05 to go, Poole stripped Russell Westbrook, drained a 31-foot three-pointer, and drew a charge, all in succession. Ten seconds later, Poole catapulted an ill-advised heat check that he felt contact on. Poole did not get the call and let the official hear about it, which earned him his 11th technical foul of the season. Poole hinted, after the 115-91 victory, that the technical was where Golden State’s night turned.
Poole, like his second-half shooting, was spot on.
Across the final 7:28 of the third, the Warriors went on a 29-8 run. Poole was responsible for 16 of those points. His last 3-pointer was a fallaway from the corner with 21 seconds left, moments after chasing down an offensive rebound into the crowd. Poole jokingly credited the basket to the man who caught him, local legend and season-ticket holder, E-40. It was the ultimate blend of entertainment and substance. It was box office, something you want and feel a need to pay for. Poole put on the kind of show worthy of a national television audience in the acropolis that is Chase Center. Like a rock star, he owned the crowd.
“That was great hustle by JP,” said Klay Thompson about Poole’s final three of the quarter. “That’s why he got rewarded and it felt great to hear Chase Center get loud and that was just an incredible momentum shifter.”
It was the kind of momentum shifter Warriors fans have become accustomed to from another Golden State guard.
“I have a reaction even when Steph (Curry) takes those shots,” admitted Draymond Green. “I can’t quite say that I understand that feeling, but if you are doing everything else, what is there to complain about.”
The complaint comes when the shots do not go in. Poole is still shooting 33% from three-point range, but you wouldn’t know it with some of the 30-footers he hoists without hesitation. Against the Clippers, that brash confidence was essential.
For a second-straight game, Golden State looked like the vintage third-quarter Warriors. Only it was Poole who played the role of catalyst instead of Curry. Even the Clippers felt it. Postgame, Tyronn Lue was asked if Poole’s performance reminded him of Curry’s ability to captivate a crowd.
“If [Poole or Curry] see one or two go down, you could be in for a long night,” Lue said.
Poole made back-to-back three-pointers a few minutes into the third quarter. It was curtains.
In the first half, Chase Center groaned when Poole went to the floor and jacked up deep shots. In the second half, the crowd roared when his long-range missiles went through the net. That has been the relationship most have had this season with the 23-year-old. One second, Poole is shooting at a rim the size of San Francisco. The next, he’s forcing a beach ball into a golf hole. Either way, Poole has a quick trigger and stays aggressive no matter the quality of his shot. Kerr spoke after the game about how it took him time to adjust to Curry and Thompson taking those kinds of deep 3-pointers and becoming comfortable with it.
He not quite there with Poole.
“It’s not necessarily a great shot for everybody and I don’t think it’s necessarily a great shot for Jordan,” Kerr explained after the win. “But what I love about Jordan is he’s still evolving, he’s still growing… it’s still a work in progress.”
Even if those shots are not great, efficiency-wise, there is no sign of Poole shying away from those looks. On some nights, it can hurt the Warriors. On others, like against Los Angeles, it can help win you a game.
The adage is those kinds of all-or-nothing shots are great when they go in. Poole is not all-or-nothing but remains unpredictable. That unpredictability from possession to possession makes Poole difficult to gameplan for and even tougher to guard. The dichotomy of Poole is also necessary for where Golden State wants to go. The Warriors are a season-high three games above .500 and have strung together their second-longest winning streak of the season (four games). Poole demonstrated last year he can affect winning for a championship team. This season, due to injury, Poole has been forced to grow up quicker than is probably fair. Despite the inconsistency, accelerated maturation should help Golden State’s future. For now, like Poole’s heat check, we’ll just have to deal with it.
