Daily Warriors Links, 3/15/23

Good Morning Dub Nation,

The Golden State Warriors get set to play the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. It will be the fourth and final meeting between the two teams as Golden State attempts to take a pivotal 3-1 season series lead over Los Angeles.

Ahead of the big matchup, Clippers’ All-Star wing Paul George released the second episode of his Podcast P show in which he mentioned Warriors guard Jordan Poole among the up-and-coming players in the league — crediting the fourth-year player for raising his game despite a rough start to his career.

After being drafted 28th overall back in 2019, Poole initially struggled to adapt to the Warriors’ intricate system (as most rookies and young players do). He spent time in the G-League where he famously used the reps to gradually improve his game.

During his second year, Poole’s work in the G-League finally began to pay off as flashes of the electric scorer we see today began to show itself, especially in high pressure situations. Eventually, Poole would not only prove he can manage the team in the absence of Klay Thompson or even Steph Curry, but also thrive alongside them. He popped off specifically in the 2022 postseason as the team’s three guard “Poole Party” lineup became a pick your poison situation that opposing defenses were not yet ready to handle.

Poole’s performance during the Warriors championship run last year earned him a huge four-year $128 million contract extension coming into this season. However, it’s been a tumultuous ride ever since as the young Warriors guard has dealt with adversity beginning with the offseason practice incident with Draymond Green to the inconsistent performances throughout the regular season.

Although the difference in personnel from last season to this season are a major factor in these struggles, many were expecting Poole’s game to take another leap given his trajectory from previous years. That hasn’t been the case as his poor shot selection, untimely turnovers, and lapses on defense have caused some fans to slow down their high expectations.

Last season, Poole shot 36.4% from three on 7.6 attempts per game while averaging 2.5 turnovers a night. This season, that percentage has dropped to 32.9% on 7.9 three-point attempts per game, while his turnovers increased to 3.2 per game.

The good news is, at just 23-years-old, Poole still has plenty of time to grow. He still brings immense value to the Warriors as a ready and capable substitute at both guard positions while increasing the offensive ceiling of the roster. His performance down the stretch will be crucial as Golden State continues to make their run at another championship this postseason.

Here are the rest of today’s stories:

In case you missed it from Golden State of Mind:

• Steph Curry reflects on his career as he celebrates 35th birthday
• Excellence of Execution: How well-executed set plays ignited the Klay Thompson explosion against the Suns
• Player grades: Warriors vs. Suns
• Klay Thompson’s electric first quarter leads Warriors to 123-112 win over Suns
• Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks’ fresh beef, explained

Other Warriors News:

• JaMychal Green’s toughness, 3-point shot thriving with Warriors (NBC Sports Bay Area)
• Chris Paul reacts to Steph Curry’s trash talk about 2014 in Warriors-Suns (NBC Sports Bay Area)
• Dray breaks down Warriors win over Suns & Joel Embiid closing MVP gap w/ Jokic (Draymond Green Show)
• Kevin Durant’s ‘insane’ streak of not playing in front of Warriors fans continues, but ‘a lot of love’ awaits (CBS Sports)
• Golden State Warriors still likely to utilize 15th roster spot (Sports Illustrated)

NBA News:

• Anthony Davis out for night 2 of back-to-back after leading Lakers’ win (ESPN)
• Bucks sign Meyers Leonard for rest of season (ESPN)
• Who leads the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year race? Bam Adebayo, Brook Lopez or Giannis? (The Athletic)
• Why NBA collective bargaining is so difficult, and some possible tweaks that could benefit all parties (Yahoo Sports)
• Damian Lillard laments current state of basketball discourse: ‘I don’t enjoy what the NBA is becoming’ (CBS Sports)