The miserable times for the Washington Wizards continued as they lost their seventh consecutive regular season game. In the away encounter against the Charlotte Hornets, they lost 117-114 after failing to preserve their lead. The franchise blew away an 81-62 lead late in the third quarter before the hosts outperformed them by 39-23 in the final quarter. Just prior to the defeat, Kevin Garnett raised doubts over the ability of the team’s talisman, Jordan Poole, in his show KG Certified on SHOWTIME Basketball.
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The 47-year-old questioned the attitude and leadership qualities of the 2022 champion. His co-host, Paul Pierce, only riled him up further, indicating how the championship win with the Golden State Warriors might have gotten to his head. “You ain’t nothing like it,” Garnett declared to dismiss Jordan’s impact on the organization since his arrival.
“You flexing championship, but you ain’t bringing champion environment in here,” the 15x All-Star mentioned. Garnett carried on with his harsh judgments, stating, “You learned this in Golden State, ni**a?”. The NBA icon added, “This what you brought from there?”. He berated the 24-year-old, highlighting, “They got your a** out of there cause you weren’t going to fall in line.”
Failing to control his rage, KG put forward a jarring remark, mentioning, “Ni**as like this don’t belong in our league.” “I don’t want my son under no ni**a like that,” the 2008 NBA champion mentioned, justifying his stance. Surprisingly, Garnett was not the first one to showcase concerns over the inclusion of Poole into the Wizards franchise.
With the team winning only two of their fourteen matches so far, the doubts thickened over his quality to lead the roster. In just a month, the criticism rose to such heights that his teammates had to come out to defend the point guard. Yet, KG’s words came across as a shock to many as the icon had previously backed the youngster.
The interesting dynamic between Jordan Poole and Kevin Garnett
Soon after the trade, KG had compared Poole’s situation with that of James Harden‘s early days in the NBA. He highlighted how Harden’s departure from the Oklahoma City Thunder had boosted his ability as an individual. “Jordan Poole is the new James Harden,” he stated to display his support for the rising star. Coming into the season, his tone started to change as Jordan’s lack of seriousness caught the eyes.
After the game against the Boston Celtics, Kevin criticized Poole, saying, “I thought Jordan Poole was going to give me a lot more showmanship, not arrogance.” Thus, it’s fair to assume that Garnett’s frustration was spurred by his expectations from Poole. Till now, the Wizards star has failed to earn the respect of the legend.
There are still 68 games left in the calender for the Washington Wizards. If there is anything we know, nothing is fixed in the NBA. Just like a game can change with a run, a team’s season can turn around if they can string together a couple of victories. The ball is in Poole’s court now. He’s on the back foot yet again, with doubters all around him. Can he rise up to the occasion, or would the Wizards’ trade rumors come to fruition?
