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Kendra Andrews, ESPN
SAN FRANCISCO — When Jordan Poole comes into Chase Center as a member of the Washington Wizards on Friday night, the Golden State Warriors will be facing someone they once believed was a key to their future.
The 28th pick in the 2019 draft who then became a crucial part of the Warriors championship run two seasons ago and earned himself a four-year, $128 million extension, Poole is a huge success story, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
Poole’s tenure couldn’t have worked out any better, Kerr said, except for the way it ended.
“It’s really unfortunate how it played out,” Kerr said after practice Thursday. “You just wish that things could have ended on a more positive note and in a more positive way.”
Kerr said he doesn’t think there is any resentment between Poole and the Warriors, who dealt him in June in a trade that brought Chris Paul to Golden State.
About two weeks before Poole signed his extension with the Warriors in October 2022, Poole was punched by Draymond Green during training camp.
“He handled that better than 99 percent of people would,” said forward Andrew Wiggins, who was one of Poole’s closest friends on the Warriors. “He handled it like a true professional.”
At the time, Kerr called the incident the biggest crisis he had experienced with Golden State. At the end of the season, Kerr said the Warriors never recovered from that moment, as it left a dark cloud over the team all season — in the locker room and on the court.
Green signed his four-year, $100 million extension with Golden State in July, a sign of the team’s long-standing commitment to him. A few weeks later, Poole was traded to Washington.
“Given that this is his one visit to Chase this year, it’s our first chance to really thank Jordan for his contributions, for helping us win a championship,” Kerr said. “… We don’t win that championship without him. Everyone here recognizes that. Our fans recognize that, so Jordan is going to get a massive ovation.”
Poole averaged 18.5 points on 44.8% field goal shooting, including 36.4% from 3, during the 2021-22 season during the title run. In the playoffs, he put up 17 points per game on 50.8% shooting. He started the first half of that season before Klay Thompson returned from his injuries, then subbed for Stephen Curry when Curry was sidelined from late March to the start of the playoffs.
“The way that whole team was, we were all really connected,” Wiggins said. “The way we’re all jelling, on and off the court, supporting one another, it was a great environment to be a part of it.”
Poole’s scoring is something the Warriors miss.
“There have been times during this run where we’ve needed to find scoring, and Jordan gave us that,” Kerr said. “You cannot minimize his contributions.”
With the Wizards this season, Poole is averaging 17.4 points on 41.6% shooting — not far off from his regular-season campaign two years ago. But his season has been overshadowed by Washington’s losing record, his chucking up errant shots and slipping untouched on the floor.
Still, Kerr expects a big game from Poole against his old team. As a former player who was on six different clubs, Kerr understands the satisfaction of sticking it to your former squad.
“You want to remind your old team what they’re missing,” Kerr said. “Jordan is going to come out and probably play really well against us.”
Source: www.espn.com