SAN FRANCISCO – A lot of fans had already piled out of Chase Center. If you were at home, you might have already changed the channel.
With about a minute left in Friday’s deflating 118-99 loss to the Kings, Jordan Poole drove to the hoop with a clear lane. Kings forward Keegan Murray was gonna let him dunk it, because it was garbage time. But Poole couldn’t slam down the gimme. Unfortunately, it was a fitting coda to his disappointing night.
The ball rimmed out and Poole looked skyward for an explanation of the ugly exclamation mark for his 2-for-11 night, during what could have been a series-clinching Game 6.
By no means does Friday’s loss fall squarely at the feet of Poole, but the 23-year-old looks like he’s pressing in the postseason. Technically, he was only assessed one turnover on Friday night, but his out of control dribbling and drives led to several empty possessions.
As he's done too often throughout the year, Poole overdribbled and kept losing his balance, throwing up his arms to the ref in hopes of a foul while sliding on his backside.
“Jordan never really got going tonight unfortunately,” Kerr said. “He got a little frustrated early. He had a couple plays where he didn't get calls and he was trying to attack and couldn't quite shake free, so just a frustrating night for him. But you know, it was a poor night for all of us, including me.”
Poole’s emotional outbursts have been a staple of his playing style all year. If he doesn’t get a call, he’ll often yell and plead with the referee instead of running back to play defense. In fact, about three months ago, Draymond Green reportedly called out Poole for his complaining during a heated locker room outburst, according to The Athletic.
The biggest thing Poole can do now is shake off his rough series and ball out in Game 7. Even Steph Curry hinted that Poole can do a better job of controlling his emotions.
“We need him and he's more than capable,” Curry said. “And he’s shown the ability to impact games, and the biggest thing for all of us, you know, JP included, is that next-play mentality that is so important at this level. Not just in the 82-game schedule but also in a playoff series where you don't have to be kind of a victim of the last game. You always can kind of bounce back.
“I have nothing but confidence in his ability to do that and understand to bring the right energy for this next game. So you know, we have all kind of been there and been through those growing pains of a playoff experience, and it happens, but we all can play better, and we all got to play better if we're going to win on Sunday.”
Poole is still in the last season of his rookie deal and made $3.9 million this season, but he carries the expectations of a budding star who’s making more than $30 million a year. That’s what happens when you sign a four-year, $123 million extension this past offseason.
His inconsistency has been glaring and you can make a strong argument that Poole may have regressed this season. He finished the 2021-22 campaign on an absolute heater, scoring 20+ points in 17 straight contests, but has only eclipsed the 20-point mark once this series. When your main job is to provide scoring, the sloppy ball handling and wasting of possessions is magnified.
Poole looks to be making more of an effort on defense this season, but is still a liability on that end. At this point, Poole can’t be trusted to close out games.
Klay Thompson has been in Poole’s corner since Day 1. Earlier this season, Klay pointed at a Warriors championship logo when defending his teammate’s worth to the franchise. Klay is still expecting big things from Poole entering Game 7.
“We've all been there,” Thompson said. “I've had terrible slumps during the playoffs, the Olympics, at the highest level. Jordan is only 23 years old. We lose as a team; we win as a team. It wasn't on just JP tonight. He could come out and get 30 effortlessly on Sunday. So he's got to keep his confidence up. I mean, he's a great player, and he helped us win a championship last year, and if we want to do that again, he will do the same this year.”
