NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Washington Wizards should call the Golden State Warriors and ask them to step outside for a fight. All this is due to Jordan Poole. Where is the player they figured they were getting? So far, Poole is playing as if he’s not sure of who he is. But then again, what the Wizards got is exactly what the Warriors had.
During his career with Stephen Curry and crew, Poole was just as up and down as he is now in his first season with the Washington Wizards. However, everyone in the basketball world expected more. This was supposed to be Poole’s breakout season. His time to show that he was the next man up when Curry retired.
Paired with Kyle Kuzma, Poole was expected to contend for the scoring title. To be honest, he has all the makings of a player who can score at will. So what’s the issue so far? Is he pressing? Is he thinking too much instead of playing or is he just not ready to be the “main” guy?
He’s averaging 16.5 points but he’s taking 14.6 shots per game and 6.1 of those are from deep. He’s not doing anything different than what he did with the Warriors. The ball is just not falling. And then, he’s causing viral moments on the bench. He’s coming off as uncoachable and a bad teammate. Was Draymond Green right?
The Wizard was still picked to struggle this season and while they’re right on pace for that, it shouldn’t be this bad. Kuzma is playing at the same level he has since arriving in DC but the help he thought he was getting from Poole is nowhere to be found.
Do The Washington Wizards Regret The Poole Trade
Poole would have a 20-point game then follow it with an 11-point game. He’s consistently inconsistent. With Golden State, that could fly because he was backed by Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green and all the success. But in Washington, Poole is expected to be more. He’s expected to be a leader. And he still doesn’t know how to do that. There is no way the Wizards can build a team around this guy. Jordan Poole is not HIM.
With all that said, Poole has time to turn things around. He’s been in the league for only 5 seasons. He’s still a young guy. But can he adapt to learning and listening? Is he willing to sit down during the offseason and take notes on what went wrong? Is he willing to take the advice of a coach or veteran player and agree that some things must be fixed?
The Washington Wizards are on the hook with Poole until the end of the 2026 season and they’re paying him over $26M per. Rumors are swirling that he could be shipped out of Washington before the trade deadline. But at his price and with his history of bad shots, what team is willing to take that risk? Moving Kuzma is much easier but moving him will just hand the keys to Poole and give him the green light to do whatever. There is not a win here for the franchise.
Poole looked at the success of Curry and Klay and figured it was easy. He’s now learning that it’s not. Winning as a reserve is one thing but losing as the main guy, well, that has to sting. He doesn’t seem to show any remorse about his playing ways. He suits up, takes awful shots, hurts his team in the process, and goes right back at it the next game.
We can go through his stats and see that he offers nothing else besides scoring. If shots aren’t falling, some players can rely on their defense to help out. Maybe some rebounding or getting others involved. But Poole, he’s averaging just 2.5 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists, plus he averages 2.9 turnovers. He’s not giving 100 percent at anything.
At this point, the Washington Wizards should ask for a mulligan on this trade. The Wizards did the Warriors a favor this offseason.
