Warriors guard Jordan Poole delivered in his first playoff game for Golden State.
SAN FRANCISCO – After the ball left his hands and hit the basket, the Golden State Warriors star couldn’t help himself. He celebrated.
He wagged his tongue. He danced as he strolled to the sidelines. And he showed the joy that is the culture of warriors.
It would have been poetic if this piece described one of Stephen Curry’s dramatic 3-pointers in his first game since sustaining a left foot injury the previous month. Curry has been producing these moments endlessly throughout his storied 13-year career. Maybe that moment will come another time.
Instead, this piece captured one of Jordan Poole’s dramatic shots in his first career playoff game that fueled the Warriors’ 123-107 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of their first round playoff series Saturday at the Chase Center. Poole emulated Curry with his performance in points (30), field goal shooting (9 for 13), 3-point shooting (5 for 7) and assists (three). Poole also reflected Curry’s idiosyncrasies, both with his stylish playing and cheerful celebrations.
Jordan Poole finished his playoff debut on Saturday with 30 points.
“That’s his personality,” Curry said. “He doesn’t lack confidence.”
Exuding confidence could be one thing for Poole, 22. Most young players work like that. It will be another matter once Poole has backed that up with his work.
Certainly, the Warriors won’t associate Poole’s game with Curry’s credentials as a three-time NBA champion, two-time regular-season MVP, and all-time greatest NBA scorer. But the Warriors hardly seemed surprised that Poole became the 35th player in NBA history to score at least 30 points in his first career playoff game. With Poole earning Mitch Richmond the second-highest points for a Warriors player in their playoff debut behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 35, Poole provided the latest example of his continued development throughout his third NBA season.
“Jordan Poole, wow, what a playoff debut,” Thompson said. “All his hard work is paying off. If he doesn’t “Most Improved [Player]’ This year it makes no sense. We wouldn’t be where we are without him.”
The Warriors’ quest to return to win an NBA championship after struggling once in the NBA Draft Lottery (2020) and once in the NBA Play-in Tournament (2021) is believed to be fueled by the well-known characters hanging out with Curry, Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala.
Undoubtedly, they all offered promising signs in the Warriors’ playoff debut. In his first playoff game since torn the ACL in his left knee in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors, Thompson offered his sharpshooting again with 19 points while running 7-for-15 from the field and 5v10 from the 3 point area. In his first playoff game since the same time, Green offered the same usual defensive intensity that made Nuggets center Nikola Jokic look abysmal despite his 25-point performance in 12-for-15 shooting. Iguodala offered a stable lead in limited minutes (13 mins).
It doesn’t seem like an exaggeration to say that the Warriors wouldn’t have won Game 1 if Poole hadn’t played. After Poole started in the 12 games Curry missed due to a bruised bone and torn ligaments in his left foot, Warriors coach Steve Kerr kept Poole in the starting lineup. And why not? He has career bests in points per game (18.5), assists (4.0), as well as shooting from the field (44.8%), 3-point shooting (36.4%), and free throw shooting (92.5 %) achieved.
“He’s earned the respect and trust of his teammates,” Kerr said. “You believe in him and see what he’s done all year. So there is no hesitation in putting the ball in his hands.”
Here’s the kicker. Poole initially had the ball in his hands at Curry’s expense. The Warriors benched Curry with a minute limit (22) in hopes of lightening his workload after he hadn’t played an NBA game in about a month. That could be a difficult question for Curry given his credentials. But he admittedly felt ready and comfortable with the arrangement, in part because of Poole’s presence.
“That’s a big part of it, especially how he’s basically ended the season for the last two months,” Curry said. “But it’s also the confidence in what we do as a team.”
Curry still finished with 16 points while shooting 5-for-13 from the field and 3-for-6 from deep, a performance Curry described as “mostly smooth.” But he remained patient with his return. After going into the game at 5:51, Curry didn’t make a shot until the middle of the second quarter. During that stretch, Poole already had 11 points.
NBA TV analyzes Jordan Poole’s performance in Game 1 vs. Denver.
“I felt pretty prepared,” Poole said. “The coaching staff did a really good job setting up the game plan and setting it up and then we did a really good job as a team just going out there and running.”
But Poole’s preparation goes beyond the Warriors’ coaching staff and positions him to succeed.
The prep began when the Warriors picked Poole 28th in the 2019 NBA draft. By this point, Poole had blossomed into a dynamic shooter and playmaker through the AAU Circuit, Milwaukee Rufus King High School and the University of Michigan. During those stops, Poole’s coaches gushed about his confidence. But they marveled more at his coaching ability and drive for self-improvement.
The Warriors found that Poole was just as receptive to honing his shooting and improving his defense. They appreciated that Poole accepted criticism without taking it personally while showing enough confidence to challenge his coaches and teammates in hopes of improving. They also observed that Poole extended his training after practice and at night after both strong and poor performances.
“It’s just his hunger,” Thompson said. “He always had the talent. He had the handling skills. He had the shot. But his work ethic will drive him on.”
As such, Kerr was heartened to see Poole in the Warriors’ two play-in games last year against the Los Angeles Lakers (10 points in a 4-on-9 shooting) and the Memphis Grizzlies (19 points in a 6-on-11). shooting) had done well ). Kerr likened those moments as “basically playoff games.” As such, Kerr predicted that Poole “wouldn’t be shy” on his actual debut.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Poole said. “Obviously from last year’s playoffs, the play-in game, people I’ve asked have said it was pretty tight in terms of atmosphere, physicality and detail. We just try to be as prepared as possible.”
Boy, did Poole look prepared. Still, he claimed he wasn’t bothered by the bright lights and noisy crowd. Poole recalled that “it’s just basketball.”
Initially, Poole remained patient with his attack point so he could observe the Nuggets’ defensive strategy. But it wasn’t long before Poole was playing aggressively.
On one play, Poole threw a pocket pass to Warriors forward Kevon Looney between a handful of Nuggets defenders for an open layup. On another play, Poole blew past Denver guard Austin Rivers for a reverse layup.
On another play, Poole dribbled right from Nuggets guard Will Barton before executing a Euro step and throwing a near-back layup. After drawing a foul and making the layup, Poole roared and bobbled his head. This play caused Curry to throw his hands over his head. He then approached Poole with a high five.
“There’s no better feeling than having the guys who’ve already fought the fight behind them,” said Poole. “They went through it at the highest level. You know, when you know you have these guys who pick you up when you make mistakes.”
For example, Iguodala pulled Poole aside to declare defensive cover to ensure Jokic couldn’t find an open perimeter shooter. Otherwise, Poole’s teammates would often encourage him after a strong game.
Those moments happened most often when Poole became part of a closing lineup with Curry, Thompson, Green and Andrew Wiggins for the final 4:23 of the second quarter. During that stretch, the Warriors secured a 58-47 halftime lead with an 18-4 run. Then Poole made a 28-foot 3 and a reverse layup while also setting up Thompson for an open 27-footer.
Jordan Poole shone alongside Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson in Game 1.
“He’s like Steph with the ball in his hand in terms of his ability to shoot the pick and roll,” Thompson said. “We’ve just developed great chemistry over the last month or two of playing ball.”
No wonder Kerr has to make a difficult decision pretty soon. No doubt Curry will reclaim his starting spot once Warriors medical staff are encouraged by how Curry’s left foot has held up. It might happen in Game 2. But will that come at Poole’s expense? Or can the Warriors still have Curry, Thompson and Poole together in a three-point lineup?
“Yes,” Kerr said, before silence filling the air for a few moments. “We will cross this bridge when we reach it.”
To Poole’s credit, he hasn’t challenged his developing starting and reserve roles. He started for almost half the season until Thompson returned after an absence of almost two and a half years. Poole’s minutes fluctuated thereafter depending on Thompson’s availability for back-to-backs. Poole then experienced a promotion during Curry’s absence. Don’t expect Poole to complain anytime soon.
“Just try to make the most of my opportunity when I’m out there. Just keep being aggressive and play my game and all my coaches and teammates are telling me to just be me,” Poole said. “Adaptations change. You have to be ready, you have to be prepared.”
Because of that preparation, Poole mirrored his best imitation of Curry in Game 1, both with his play and manners. After watching Poole’s boisterous celebration after his deep 3-pointer, Curry smiled and laughed.
“This piece embodied it,” Curry said. “Because you just have the creativity and the confidence to make a game. You don’t question yourself. You kind of live with the results and we’ve all been doing this for years and he’s stepping into that now. It’s fun to see.”
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Mark Medina is a Senior Writer/Analyst for NBA.com. You can email him here, find his archive here, and follow him on twitter.
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