Preview: Poole’s Wizards play the Warriors at Chase Center.

Preview: Poole’s Wizards play the Warriors at Chase Center.

Without their future Hall of Fame player Draymond Green, the Golden State Warriors are making it through, winning three games in a row following three losses. They recently surprised the Boston Celtics, who are competing for the NBA’s best record, at Chase Center. They now focus on the Washington Wizards, a squad that is having trouble and has the second-worst record in the NBA.

But now is the moment to sound the alarm—JORDAN FREAKIN’ POOLE is about to make a comeback! DUB NATION, GET UP AND CLAP YOUR HANDS!

Washington Wizards against. Golden State Warriors December 22, 2023 | 7:00 PM PT
Watch Bay Area NBC Sports and ESPN
Hear: 95.7 The Match
To be honest, I had high hopes that Poole would visit the country’s capital and deliver a crushing blow to the East. Since he was soaring around the court in summer league during his debut season in 2019, I have been following his professional career. I saw him grow from a player who begged for time in the G-League to the ideal Stephen Curry trainee and a key member of the squad that won the 2022 title.

After being hit by teammate Draymond Green during a basketball practice, he was compensated, and later on, he was used as a scapegoat for Golden State’s disastrous second-round playoff performance the previous season. In an unexpected move, he was finally dealt for Chris Paul by the Washington Wizards. Following his departure, I wrote a lengthy piece for Dub Nation HQ detailing his rollercoaster season, interspersed with this passage:

NEWEST VIDEO FROM SB COUNTRY
“Perhaps I made a mistake.” | Shaq vs. Kobe, Part 3

The “Shaq-Kobe beef” is now merely a flat cultural reference point and somewhat of a meme. How to Make a Basket: Shaq vs. Kobe aims to go beyond that and explore the reasons and methods behind the renowned teammates’ discord as well as how they managed to become so great despite it. The separation and its repercussions are covered in this third and last section. Even with an ongoing scandal and a recent Finals appearance, Kobe made it clear that he wanted the Lakers all to himself in 2004. What transpired during that last season and the separation, and how did Shaq and Kobe manage to reconcile in the decades that followed?

VIEW MORE VIEW LESS
This is the point at which your perspective on Poole’s season can indicate how optimistic or pessimistic you are about basketball. It’s pretty amazing that a 23-year-old can reach the free throw line and have huge scoring explosions. especially since you’ve locked him down for a four-year extension, don’t you think?

However, Poole’s offensive shortcomings in the postseason were a significant change from his performance during the championship run the year before. And since he was getting eliminated so frequently, his defense was particularly scrutinized.

Apparently, chemistry problems highlighted his departure from the team. Logan Murdock reported that Thompson believed Poole shot excessively, and that JP didn’t really have any allies on the team other than Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney.

For those excitedly anticipating Poole’s rise to prominence as the current best player and past champion, he’s been through some difficulties. His point average of 17.4 per game is the lowest it has been since his sophomore campaign as a Duke. In addition, he is shooting 32.5% from beyond the arc and 41.6% from the field. These figures represent his lowest points since his Golden State debut season.

However, it’s all okay if you have to give up some numbers in order to win, right? And, *looks at notes*, the Wizards are 5-22 for the season. Oh terrible. And here we were all fretting over Golden State’s dismal 13–14 season opening record! Here are a few of Poole’s learning experiences as a D.C. leader.