Steph Curry 2.0? Jordan Poole’s flair draws comparisons to Warriors star
There will never be another player like Steph Curry, but Jordan Poole is
starting to look like another version of the NBA's best shooter,
especially in his first two playoff games.
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 18: Golden State Warriors’ Jordan
Poole (3) celebrates his 3-point basket against the Denver Nuggets in
the third quarter of Game 2 of the team’s NBA basketball first-round
playoff series at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday,
April 18, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 18: Golden State Warriors’ Jordan
Poole (3) celebrates his 3-point basket against the Denver Nuggets in
the third quarter of Game 2 of the team’s NBA basketball first-round
playoff series at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday,
April 18, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: April 20, 2022 at 5:45 a.m. | UPDATED: April 20, 2022 at 2:58
p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/04/20/steph-curry-2-0-jordan-pooles-flair-draws-comparisons-to-warriors-star/

SAN FRANCISCO – Jordan Poole walked into his first NBA training camp
three years ago with the confidence of a seasoned veteran, the hunger of
a fringe player and the belief that he could be one of the best players
in this league.

Fast forward to now, and none of those three character traits have
changed for Poole, the NBA’s biggest breakout star this season as he’s
emerged from Stephen Curry’s understudy to being a co-star alongside the
Warriors’ championship core.

Ask any of Poole’s teammates why he’s been so successful this season and
they’ll point to his unwavering confidence and work ethic.

“From Day One, he had the confidence of a star player when he shouldn’t
have [had] it,” said Kevon Looney, who laughed as he recalled the
memory. “He would shoot crazy shots and everybody on the bench would be
looking at him like, ‘Why does he think he should be able to shoot these
shots?’ But he put the work in, kept working at his game and it’s been
paying off.”

Last season, Poole’s basketball career was at a crossroads. After
underperforming in his first season-plus with the Warriors, Poole was
sent down to the G League. But rather than letting the demotion
demoralize him, Poole locked in and grinded and his improvements carried
over into this season.

“The maturation of his game in these three years has been unbelievable,”
Curry said. “Just his confidence in himself to be able to take it up
another notch at this stage, it’s extremely impressive. You can give the
direction and the X’s and O’s and the approach and all that, but you’ve
got to go out there and do it. The player has to go out there and do it
and that’s what JP is doing night after night, that can’t be taught.
That’s something that you either have or you don’t. I’m glad that he has
it.”

That confidence goes far beyond his college basketball days, according
to former Michigan coach John Beilein, who now serves as a senior player
development advisor for the Detroit Pistons.

When Poole was a sophomore, Beilein challenged his shot selection and
suggested the guard step closer to the 3-point line before shooting.

Beilein saw Poole’s long-range attempts as unnecessary, and he crunched
the numbers to prove it. Poole was statistically better at shooting from
the college 3-point line than from the NBA range at that time.

Poole, of course, respected his coach’s request, but he didn’t
necessarily agree with it.

“I thought I was open,” Poole says three years after the fact. “And I
would practice shots like that all the time when I would work out, so I
never really thought too much about it.”

Some believed it was Poole’s lack of spatial awareness that had him
launching shots from five feet beyond the line. It was instead his
confidence from hours of shooting that had him convinced shooting deep
was the right call.

OK, that and he might’ve been watching a few too many Curry highlights
on YouTube.

But all that time in the gym practicing those shots and enduring lengthy
film sessions have paid off this season.

There will never be another Curry, but Poole is starting to look like a
2.0 version of the league’s best shooter, especially in his first two
playoff games.

>RELATED ARTICLES
Andrew Wiggins is doing everything the Warriors need to make the new
super lineup sing
Warriors notes: Bjelica using past experience in guarding Nikola
Jokic; Iguodala injury update
Column: Nuggets exposed by Warriors as clown show, too soft and
splintered to contend for NBA title
Warriors’ three-guard lineup proves to be too much for Nuggets
The Warriors’ best defense against Jokic: Draymond Green and a
demoralizing offense

Poole has scored a combined 59 points, going 10-for-17 from deep,
against the Denver Nuggets in the first two games of the Warriors’
first-round playoff series. Both performances were speckled with
highlight-worthy driving layups, long-range shots and tongue-wagging
celebrations.

“He’s been watching Steph a lot and he’s doing his best impression,”
Draymond Green said, “and it’s incredible.”

Green has developed a telepathic connection with Poole similar to the
way he’s in sync with Curry. That resulted in Green being able to treat
Poole like Curry in terms of facilitating dribble handoffs and no-look
passes to the nimble guard.

Poole has spent the last three years closely observing how Curry gets
his looks and has started to mimic him.

“He’s really good at creating space and dominating mismatches and his
off-ball movement,” Poole said. “I’m lucky to be able to watch him every
single day and watch him in film.”

Poole said he’s honored to be what fans call a “Steph Disciple.”

“It’s definitely dope, that’s one of the greatest players of all time,”
Poole said. “I definitely try to add a lot of stuff that he has in his
game into mine but I think what makes Steph so special is that he’s just
a unique player and he plays his own style of basketball and luckily,
I’m able to come onto a team and organization where they allow me to
play my unique style as well and definitely beneficial.”

--
Madeline Kenney | Warriors reporter