Jordan Poole's final Warriors season included a punch in the face of his teammate Draymond Green, an early exit from the playoffs and a trade to the Washington Wizards.
But not all of Poole's time in the Bay was negative.
As Golden State prepares to host Washington at Chase Center on Friday night, Poole and his former Warriors teammates shared some of their favorite memories from their four years together.
“There was a game where we started together and I think I went for 35 and he went for 30,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson told Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “We played jazz and came back from under 20. It was a great moment for us to know, you know, we can do this.”
The game Thompson is referring to took place in the final stretch of the regular season. Poole replaced the injured Steph Curry in the last 12 games and averaged 25.8 points on 42.1 percent shooting, with five rebounds and 6.2 assists in 35.4 minutes.
Curry returned for the playoffs, but Poole's performance was just as consistent, averaging 17 points on 50.8 percent shooting, helping the Warriors secure their fourth NBA title in eight seasons.
“For him to do what he did,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Start the first 50 games, leave his position to Klay and then play a big role in the playoffs. “He started the games, came off the bench and did everything we needed from Jordan.”
Against the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, Poole dropped 30, 29 and 27 points in the first three games of the series. Kevon Looney said that was one of his fondest memories of Poole, as he remembered a transition 3-pointer against DeMarcus Cousins.
“That's when I thought, 'Oh, he's going to be really good,'” Looney told Slater. “Doing this in his first playoff experience, isn’t he nervous? Steph came off the bench and still put on a show.”
For Poole, his favorite game with Golden State was Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Memphis Grizzlies. Kerr agreed.
In that game, Green was sent off for a hard foul on Brandon Clarke and Poole replaced him in the starting lineup in the second half. In an ugly shooting night for Curry, Thompson and Andrew Wiggins, Poole put together a big performance, scoring 31 points on an efficient 12 of 20 shooting (60 percent) from the field and 5 of 10 (50 percent) from behind the arc.
“Oh yeah, when we played Tyus [Jones] and them,” Poole said to Slater, pointing to Jones, now his teammate on the Wizards. “Especially when it’s on the go.”
“He saved us a lot of times in that playoff run,” Looney said.
Curry's three favorite Poole moments all occurred during the 2022 NBA Finals. During the deciding Game 6 in Boston, it was Poole who sparked a 21-0 run that helped the Warriors defeat the Celtics and ultimately be crowned champions to become.
“It was a beautiful thing,” Curry said. “But also the half-court shots. Games 2 and 5.”
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