MY ACCOUNT
Steve Kerr hailed the “pretty amazing” performance of Jordan Poole as the Golden State Warriors routed the San Antonio Spurs but is not planning changes to his starting line-up at this point.
Poole had endured an indifferent start to the season but was influential in Monday’s 132-95 win, which saw Klay Thompson rested.
Finishing with a season-best 36 points on the back of 13-for-20 shooting and five three-pointers, Poole was sat down with a little over eight minutes remaining and earned an ovation from the home crowd at Chase Center.
“Jordan was pretty amazing offensively,” Warriors head coach Kerr said. “He got it rolling right away.”
This was the Warriors’ best performance of the season and one that sees the defending champions improve to 6-8 in a campaign that has yet to truly catch fire.
However, Kerr said any thoughts of bumping Poole permanently into the starting five at the expense of Thompson are a little premature.
“No, it’s not something I’m thinking about,” Kerr said.
“Our starting five with Klay has been really good this year. The bigger thing is finding the right combinations off the bench.”
Poole’s performance came on an even more special night, given it coincided with the launch of his “Poole Party” bobblehead.
“I love it, it’s absolutely amazing. It’s my first one. It’s really a special accomplishment. It’s an honour. I’m glad it came out the way it did,” he said.
It was also confirmed on Monday that James Wiseman will spend some time with Golden State’s G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors.
The number two overall pick in the 2020 draft had not played in any of the three games prior to the Spurs win, where he had two points, two rebounds and three assists in eight minutes.
Wiseman’s career in the NBA has been somewhat stop-start with this just his 50th game in three years. Having appeared in 27 during his rookie year, he missed the entirety of last season due to complications from a meniscus injury – bar three outings in the G League.
Asked about the decision, Kerr said: “He needs reps. He needs to play. It’s not easy when you don’t get minutes.”
Wiseman said he is not viewing the call as a step back.
“I don’t look at this as a demotion. I’m just ready to go out there and hoop,” he said.
It was a move that proved beneficial for Poole earlier in this career. He played 11 games in the 2020-21 season with Santa Cruz, averaging 22.4 points, and had some words of encouragement for his team-mate.
“I’m telling [Wiseman] this is not a demotion. This is not a punishment,” Poole said.
“I’m telling him to go down there and take 50 shots, be aggressive, get techs, hang on the rim, do it all. Just so he can understand what he wants to be at the highest level. This is just a step in that direction.”
