Jordan Poole brushes off Most Improved Player snub: ‘It is what it is’
Jordan Poole isn't focusing on being left off the list of finalists for
this season's Most Improved Player award. Instead, his sights are set on
winning a championship.
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 16: Golden State Warriors’ Jordan
Poole (3) makes a shot against the Denver Nuggets in the first quarter
of Game 1 of their NBA first round playoff series at Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, April 16, 2022. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area
News Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 16: Golden State Warriors’ Jordan
Poole (3) makes a shot against the Denver Nuggets in the first quarter
of Game 1 of their NBA first round playoff series at Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, April 16, 2022. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area
News Group)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: April 18, 2022 at 1:10 p.m. | UPDATED: April 19, 2022 at 4:22
a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/04/18/jordan-poole-brushes-off-most-improved-player-snub-it-is-what-it-is/

SAN FRANCISCO — Jordan Poole didn’t have much to say Monday after being
left off the list of finalists for this season’s Most Improved Player
award. The 22-year-old simply dismissed the snub, saying “it is what it is.”

Of course, he “definitely” felt he had more than earned the right to be
among the league’s top three candidates for the honor, though those
spots ultimately went to Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, Grizzlies guard
Ja Morant and Spurs guard Dejounte Murray.

“Can’t really do too much about it now,” Poole said after shootaround
before Game 2 of the Warriors’ opening-round playoff series against
Denver. “I guess it wasn’t my decision to make to be honest. I think I
did everything I could do.”

Coach Steve Kerr was shocked to hear of Poole’s omission from the list;
and Andrew Wiggins echoed the sentiment, saying Poole should’ve been a
sure-fire finalist after his “crazy” developmental leap from last season
to this.

After spending some time in the G League last season trying to get his
footing, Poole has been one of the Warriors’ most reliable players this
season as he’s been tasked with filling in for both Klay Thompson and
Steph Curry when they were injured and exceeded expectations.

“Those are large shoes to fill, being in place of Steph Curry, and he
fills them better than anyone I’ve ever seen,” Draymond Green said.
“It’s pretty amazing what he’s been able to do and what he’s doing.”

Poole had only one 30-point game last season, but tallied 11 this
season, including Saturday in his playoff debut. He was also one of only
five NBA players to have 17-or-more consecutive games with 20-plus
points this season.

The others on that list? Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and
Devon Booker.

“JP, his jump was incredible,” Wiggins said. “His numbers speak for itself.”

Green had been actively campaigning over the last month for the
third-year guard to be named Most Improved Player. He again went on an
impassioned rant Sunday in support of the third-year guard before the
finalists were officially announced.

“If Jordan Poole isn’t the Most Improved Player then the NBA really
needs to relook at their process. Because you cannot find a guy on that
list that has made a bigger improvement, I don’t care,” he said. “If the
award was voted based upon its name then it’s a no brainer who’s the
most improved player. I just fear that these awards sometimes aren’t
voted on in conjunction with the name.”

Don’t get it wrong. Green said he’s a big fan of Garland and Morant. But
neither are this season’s most improved players in his eyes.

“Ja Morant was incredible last year,” he said. “Again, if we’re going
off the name of the award, it’s Jordan Poole. If it’s not Jordan Poole,
I’m starting a petition on change.org to rename these awards because
it’s just not accurate.”

Green has yet to follow through with his creation of an online petition.
But the Warriors know what they have in Poole even if others don’t
recognize it.

“I know how much we value Jordan. He has been a rock for us all year,”
Kerr said. “You just have to be able to rely on stability in this league
and Jordan has become a stabilizer. He’s become a guy we can count on
for scoring and shot creation every night, and the encouraging thing the
other night in Game 1 was his defense was really much improved, and he
really followed the game plan and was disciplined, and that’s his next
step is to do that consistently. But yeah, we’re lucky to have JP.

“I’m sure his teammates are telling him that he got the short end of the
stick on that one. But there are bigger fish to fry and he’s all in on
winning, he understands that’s the main thing, but it would have been
nice for him to be honored.”

Poole isn’t dwelling on the exclusion.

“I did everything I could, but luckily we’re still fighting for a
championship,” he said. “So that heart burns a little bit better for sure.”

Careful NBA award voters, you might’ve just awoken a beast.

Less head-scratching, but still disappointing to some fans, was that
Draymond Green, an early candidate for Defensive Player of the Year
after anchoring the Warriors’ league-best defensive for the first few
months, was also left off the award’s finalists list.

Kerr said he wasn’t as surprised by Green’s omission due to the fact the
six-time NBA All-Defense and two-time All-NBA player missed three months
of the season with an injury.

“Everybody out there knows that he is one of the very best defenders, if
not the best defender in the league,” he said. “So unfortunately, he
was, his season was cut short and that took him out of the running. I
know he would’ve valued winning that award, he really prides himself on
his defense.”

--
Madeline Kenney | Warriors reporter