SAN FRANCISCO – Few things in sports are more poignant than the fall of a once enchanting star. They become the subjects of 3,000-word stories and 300-page books. In the savage cauldron of social media, such tales invite international ridicule.
It is a dreadful, unwelcome life. Jordan Poole, once thought to be a cornerstone of the post-Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors, is living it.
When the Warriors traded Poole to the Washington Wizards last July, with Chris Paul coming in return, JP’s potential projected as a foundational member of his new team early in the rebuilding process. It also represented a fresh start for someone who desperately needed it.
There is nothing fresh about Poole’s first four months in Washington. It has been a tale of sheer futility and abject failure. The Wizards are 9-48, and the elite skills that convinced the Warriors to sign Poole in October 2022 to a four-year contract worth $128 million mostly have amounted to an “out of order” sign.
Can one incident – Poole being assaulted by Warriors teammate Draymond Green during a preseason practice, which was leaked on social media – so dramatically change the trajectory of an athlete?
In the case of Poole, it already has. He has not been the same player.
The Poole the Warriors will see when they face the Wizards on Tuesday at Capital One Arena bears little resemblance to the mesmerizing dynamo that fortified them in the 2022 NBA playoffs, where he averaged 17 points per game on 50.8-percent shooting from the field, including 39.1 percent from deep.
Poole, 24, was acquired to be Washington’s cornerstone, the franchise’s next NBA All-Star, a highly entertaining combo guard capable of filling the shoes of the once-great John Wall.
Poole is averaging 16.1 points per game on 39.9-percent shooting, including 30.9 percent from distance – all the lowest numbers since his rookie season with Golden State. After starting the first 52 games, he was demoted to the bench last week. He has been less than a rumor of the breakout star the Wizards were expecting.
He is making regular appearances on “Shaqtin’ a Fool,” the popular video segment in which Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal holds a so-called competition that mocks “entertaining” mistakes and missteps made by players.
Then there was the shot fired off the tongue of ESPN’s Bobby Marks, a respected voice who previously spent almost 20 years in various capacities, including assistant general manager, with the Brooklyn Nets.
“A lot of teams are calling the Jordan Poole contract one of the worst deals in the NBA right now,” Marks said in an interview with 95.7 The Game last week.
Marks added that the Warriors “caught a break there.”
Poole still has many fans in the Bay
Amid this deeply disappointing season, Poole needs all the support he can get. He still has many fans in the Bay Area, particularly among those with whom he toiled during his four seasons with the Warriors.
“I try to have fun with him and think about all the positive things,” Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, one of Poole’s closest friends with Golden State, told NBC Sports Bay Area. “One thing about Jordan is he’s a gym rat. I have no doubt in my mind that he’s going to figure it out because he stays in the gym.”
Wiggins and Poole were drawn toward each other partly because their locker spaces were close and partly because of their contrasting personalities. Poole was the brash and demonstrative prankster, quick with subtle sarcasm. Wiggins is relatively austere, and deliberate with his outward thoughts. There was mutual appreciation between jokester and straight man.
Warriors center Kevon Looney is another ex-teammate who had a tight bond with Poole, theirs built upon their hometown of Milwaukee. Poole often told stories of Looney’s exploits during a decorated high school career – “You should’ve seen him” – before multiple hip surgeries after…
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