Despite putting on an incredible performance, Jordan Poole was heavily trolled for missing the game-tying 3-point shot against the Los Angeles Lakers. While NBA Twitter and various analysts didn’t approve of the 23-year-old attempting the long-distance jumper, Draymond Green went on his podcast and defended JP’s potential game-tying three-pointer.
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A game that many thought was going to end as a blowout victory for LeBron James and co., witnessed a valiant comeback effort from the Golden State Warriors. Tying the game at 112 apiece, thanks to an incredible 14-0 run in the final quarter, Steve Kerr’s boys were potentially 1 shot away from sending Game 1 of the second-round contest into overtime.
With Stephen Curry being double-teamed near the halfcourt line, Dray found an open Poole standing a few feet behind the 3-point line. While Poole eventually ended up missing the 28-footer, many believed that the 6-foot-4 guard had enough time to dribble and cut down some space.
Jordan Poole missed the potential game-tying shot from DEEP 😳 pic.twitter.com/FOUWLDw6Gq
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 3, 2023
“Quite frankly, I liked the shot”: Draymond Green
As we’ve seen all season long, Green hopped on to record an episode of his podcast immediately after Game 1 concluded. In the nearly 23-minute long must-see episode, the former Defensive Player spoke about the action-packed thriller against the Purple & Gold. During one point, the 4-time NBA champ gave his opinions on Jordan’s final shot.
Unlike the naysayers, the Warriors veteran actually believed that it was a good attempt. Of course, Green also added how he would’ve ideally wanted Poole to reduce the gap to the 3-point line. Green in the latest episode of The Draymond Green Show Podcast by The Volume, discussed the shot in detail.
“Quite frankly, I liked the shot. Obviously, you tell him to eat up the space and take three a little bit closer. But, Jordan can shoot the ball and he got a good look at it. Yes, you want to take a couple steps in and get an even closer three.”
Further, the 6-foot-6 forward also reminded every hater that the combo guard had gone off to knock down 6 of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc prior to the last miss. Defending his teammate, the 33-year-old said:
“Jordan taking that three is not why we lost that game and I know everyone’s gonna point at that one play and say he shouldn’t have shot that three. Prior to that three, he was 6 for 10. You gotta a guy 6 for 10 that you know can shoot the piss out of the ball and you get an open three, you live with it.”
How has Jordan Poole performed in the playoffs so far?
After recording 20.4/2.7/4.5 in the regular season, JP has been the Warriors’ 4th highest points scorer in the playoffs, trailing Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins.
After recording 12 points on a horrific 25.7% 3FG in the first-round series against the Sacramento Kings, Poole has had a great start to the second-round series.
Playing 29:55 minutes while coming off the bench, he recorded a solid 21-point and 6-assist performance while shooting 46.7% from the field and 54.5% from the 3-point land.
As the Warriors now fall 0-1 in the conference semifinals, it is extremely essential for Poole to replicate such performances and assist Steph, Klay, Wiggins, and Draymond in leading Golden State to advance to the WCF.
