Touted to be the next rising star, Jordan Poole’s debut with the Washington Wizards certainly did not pan out as many fans would’ve wanted to. Despite having a disappointing 2023-24 NBA season, Poole still has the vote of confidence of the Wizards general manager, who appeared on the Run It Back podcast to defend the 24-year-old guard.
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Talking to the co-hosts, Will Dawkins dove deep into why he picked Jordan Poole over a veteran point guard like Chris Paul this past offseason. While talking about investing in a younger guard, Dawkins also went on to defend Poole’s performance this past season.
“I know he didn’t start the year the way that he wanted to but he’s still young, he’s still developing, and the way he finished the year is what we’re expecting moving forward…For where our team is, Jordan was a leader for us and he’s going to continue to be that.”
"It made more sense to invest in a young player in Jordan Poole…For where our team is, Jordan was a leader for us and he's going to continue to be that."
Wizards GM Will Dawkins on acquiring Jordan Poole from the #Warriors pic.twitter.com/aPHEneEFAl
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 21, 2024
Jordan Poole got off to a rocky start in the first few months with the Wizards. From Averaging nearly 18 points a game, Poole’s production fell below the 15 PPG average mark, raising questions about the Wizards’ decision to invest in him.
However, Will Dawkins and the rest of the Washington Wizards front office have not lost faith in Poole. It took a while for the Michigan State product to get in his groove but averaging nearly 21 points per game in the last two months of the season is the type of production Dawkins mentioned.
The Wizards finished the season as the 14th seed in the Eastern Conference with a 15-67 record. Hoping the 2022 champion’s acquisition would solve all their scoring problems, Poole’s 17.4 PPG average certainly did not help the team. Yet the team’s management is confident in Poole as the young leader of this team going forward.
Despite the criticism he has faced in his debut season in Washington colors, it’ll give him a boost in confidence to know that his GM believes in him.
The endless criticism of Jordan Poole
Jordan Poole seemed like the next sharpshooter out of Golden State only a year ago. Displaying utter fearlessness paired with his relentless scoring, Poole averaged 20.4 points for the Warriors off the bench, not to mention his heroics during the Golden State Warriors’ 2022 Championship run.
Expected to be the next star out of Washington, various fans and analysts criticized Poole over his lackluster performances after signing a massive four-year/$128 million contract with the team.
76ers legend Charles Barkley was one of the first people to call out Jordan Poole on national television.
“You could make me so mad when I played when guys did that fake hustle stuff. Used to p*ss me off so bad when guys did that. And the coach started clapping ‘Way to hustle, way to hustle.”
Even former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas went off on Jordan Poole’s antics on the floor.
“I think the NBA grades him [Jordan Poole] last! trash! He is last, motherf***er that’s where his grade is!”
Jordan Poole’s debut wasn’t what people wanted but with the support of the team’s front office, the 2022 NBA champion has another chance at turning things around.
