PHILADELPHIA -- Replacing Steph Curry, or trying to do your best impersonation of the Warriors' two-time NBA MVP, is an impossible ask that can't be placed on one person's shoulders. However, with Curry out for the foreseeable future after sustaining a left shoulder subluxation Wednesday night in the third quarter of the Warriors' loss to the Indiana Pacers, everyone's attention will turn to one player.
Jordan Poole.
The 23-year-old turned heads last season when Curry went down for the final two weeks of the regular season. Poole did the heavy lifting offensively with Curry out and exhibited loads of confidence. That's what Curry wants to see out of his teammate more than anything.
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"Be Jordan Poole, be himself," Curry said Friday when asked what the key is for Poole as the veteran rehabs his injury. "That stretch that he had, he played efficient basketball. He was very in control of what he was doing. That's why people know who he is now, and that translated into him being a huge factor in us winning a championship last year.
"I know he holds himself to a high standard, we talk about it all the time. He wants to be more efficient, more consistent on a nightly basis. Nobody needs to tell him that, other than himself. It'll be a great opportunity for him to reignite who he really is and who we know him to be and to help us win games."
Including the game that ended Curry's regular season, Poole averaged 26.0 points over the final 13 games of the Warriors' 2021-22 campaign. In that stretch, Poole also dished 5.9 assists and grabbed 4.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 38.2 percent from 3-point range. For the month of March, he led the NBA in 3-pointers made with 56 treys on a 44.4-percent clip from long range.
Poole also started in place of Curry for the Warriors' first five playoff games, with Curry coming off the bench as he rounded into shape. He scored 30 points in his playoff debut and followed that up with 29 points in Game 2 and 27 points in Game 3. Poole found himself in the history books, becoming the 16th player in NBA history to score at least 25 points in each of his first three playoff games, and the second Warrior to do so, along with Wilt Chamberlain.
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That stretch late in the regular season, plus his many impressive playoff performances, are a major reason why the Warriors handed Poole a contract extension worth up to $140 million this offseason. Once seen as a rough draft pick, Poole worked himself into a franchise cornerstone for the present and future. The start to the season hasn't gone as expected, though.
While the Warriors have struggled to a 14-15 record and 2-13 on the road, Poole's efficiency and consistency have taken a step back from last season. He is averaging a career-high 4.6 assists per game.
But in navigating his role as the Warriors' Sixth Man, Poole's 17.9 points are down from his 18.5 a season ago, and his shooting numbers are his worst since his ugly rookie year. Poole shot 44.8 percent from the field and 36.4 percent beyond the arc last season.
This season, he's at 42.4 percent overall and 31.9 percent on 3-pointers. He led the league in free-throw percentage last season, shooting 92.5 percent from the line. That number also is down. Though he's taking a career-best 3.7 free throws per game, his percentage has dropped to 86.1 percent.
"The biggest thing with Jordan that we've been trying to work on with him is just to slow down," Steve Kerr said after Wednesday night's loss. "He just gets in a rush. He has so much ability, I think sometimes it's the guys with the most ability when they're young who make the most mistakes, because they're trying to learn what they can and can't do. He's so gifted, he's so fast and shifty that he frequently is getting himself into trouble just by being in a rush.
"We're trying to slow him down and it's all going to come with experience. He's still a very young player."
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The good news is, Poole's scoring and numbers look to be on the rise. In six of the Warriors' last seven games, he has scored 20 or more points. The one game he didn't, he gave Golden State 18 points.
Over that seven-game span, Poole also shot 44.3 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from 3-point range and 90.6 percent on free throws.
Control and playing the game at the right pace for Poole will be huge for him and the Warriors going forward. There's no solution for having Steph stuck to the sidelines.
They've been here before, though, and Poole masterfully stepped up in an impossible situation. Curry and Kerr are confident he can do so again, as long as he doesn't try to be anybody else. Be Jordan Poole, one game at a time.
