The Washington Wizards made a move this summer that surprised us all. In a shocking trade, they managed to swap Chris Paul for Jordan Poole. They’ll be taking on Poole’s massive $128M extension that he signed last summer, but so far, people seem to think it’s a really good pickup. Kevin Garnett recently brought up the same on his show KG Certified. He brought up Poole’s trade and how he compared the same to what James Harden went through in 2012, after leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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After an incredible championship run with the Warriors in 2022, Jordan Poole earned himself a 4-year, $128M extension with the Dubs. However, unfortunate circumstances last season led the Warriors to pick between their core and an emerging star, and we know how that turned out. With a fresh start in the nation’s capital, Poole would have the freedom to be himself, which is what KG wants to see.
Kevin Garnett talks about Jordan Poole and his role with the Wizards
In his years with the Warriors, Poole had proven himself to be a reliable 2nd/3rd scoring option, behind Stephen Curry. However, now that he’s in Washington, the onus falls on him to lead the squad. Even though Kyle Kuzma is there, Kevin Garnett believes it’ll be Jordan Poole who needs to run the show.
Talking on his podcast, Garnett said,
“Jordan Poole is the new James Harden. Y’all remember when James Harden left OKC and got to God damn Houston? Man, this the Jordan Poole show… This little duo[Kyle Kuzma and Poole] is the new duo in the league… I feel Jordan Poole feels like he’s been held back. That’s how I thought James Harden felt coming out of OKC.”
KG then went on to list his expectations from Poole this season. He said,
“I look for Jordan Poole to be Top-5 in scoring this year. If he don’t shoot more than 25 balls, I’d be shocked. And if he don’t have not one, but a couple of 60 balls this year, I will be shocked.”
Overall, Garnett is right. Jordan Poole was held back. But what can you expect when you’re sharing the floor with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson? Their accolades speak for themselves, and Poole would have had to wait for his time in the spotlight.
Wizards’ coach giving Poole the freedom to be himself
In a press conference before the start of the season, Poole addressed the media and talked about his Wizards’ Coach, Wes Unseld has given him the opportunity to play freely. He said,
“Coach is giving me the opportunity to be me potentially, play freely. I think that’ll just be really exciting. I’ve always played the right way. It was never like a me, me, me type of play style.”
This is totally opposite from what Poole had back with the Warriors. As Andre Iguodala described on The Old Man and the Three, Poole had been given a certain role, which at times, bothered him. He wanted to go out and be like Steph and Klay, but certainly, it wasn’t going to happen.
It’s good to see Poole have the freedom to be the kind of player he wants to be. We’ll have to wait and see how much can he make the Warriors regret the decision of shipping him out.
