Warriors guard Jordan Poole learning to adapt as NBA defenses key on him
The next step in Poole's evolution as a shooter is learning how to
adjust to how teams are putting an added focus on him.
>Golden State Warriors’ Jordan Poole (3) goes up for a basket past
Cleveland Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley (4) during the second quarter of their
NBA game at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Nov.
11, 2022. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: November 13, 2022 at 12:59 p.m. | UPDATED: November 14, 2022
at 6:26 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/11/13/warriors-guard-jordan-poole-learning-to-adapt-to-leagues-adjustments/

SAN FRANCISCO — Jordan Poole commanded the attention of the league
during his breakout season in 2021-22. But now he’s learning how to
adapt to the league’s adjustments.

Opponents have dialed up the attention they’re giving Poole this season.
No longer is the 23-year-old guard a mere mention in pre-game
conversations. Poole earned himself a spot on teams’ scouting reports,
where containing him is a point of emphasis.

The Warriors have noticed how teams are guarding Poole differently this
time around.

“When he has the ball, the entire defense is loading up,” Draymond Green
said. “That’s a compliment to him. That shows the fear that defenses
have for you.”

The next step in Poole’s development as a scorer is learning how to
adjust to the team’s added pressure on him. He got a taste of that
heightened attentiveness by opponents during last season’s playoff run.

Poole opened the first-round series against the Denver Nuggets averaging
28.7 points on an insane 66.7% shooting from the field and 59.1% from
deep as he started in place of Stephen Curry. Poole was needed because
Curry was working his way back from a foot injury that sidelined him for
the last 11 games of the regular season. Poole became a focal point of
the Nuggets’ defensive game plan last season, and they made his life
difficult in Games 4 and 5, limiting him to a combined 19 points on
6-of-20 shooting in the final two games of the series.

Poole bounced back and was a vital part of the Warriors’ run to the
title. But now, after teams had an offseason to study his tendencies,
Poole is once again having to evolve.

Fortunately for him, Poole gets to play alongside Curry, one of the best
to have done it and continue to do it.

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Curry remembers what it was like to be in Poole’s shoes as a young, yet
emerging scoring threat.

“That was the evolution of just being able to get off of it and move off
the ball a little bit and knowing that you’re not just going to come off
and take guys apart on the first option of pick-and-roll, because
they’re waiting for it,” Curry said.

It takes time and reps to get to where Curry is now — a place where he’s
able to adapt to any defense and find favorable looks. It also takes
patience, he noted.

“We keep saying letting the game come to you is the biggest thing
because you can’t fight that pressure, that attention,” Curry said.
“There’s too many good athletes in this league on the defensive end and
so the more that you can just keep the game as simple as possible — and
trust that even if you’re getting extra attention you can get off of it,
get it back and still get your shot attempts, still get some looks. You
know that the game will come around in your favor. But it’s just about
getting the reps to understand what that really feels like.”

The Warriors remain extremely confident Poole will figure it out. He
seemed to find some rhythm in Friday night’s narrow win over the
Cleveland Cavaliers. Poole used his quickness to create space and make
the defense more penetrable. He also benefited from the return of Donte
DiVincenzo, who missed eight games with a hamstring strain. DiVincenzo
gives the second unit another ball handler and allows Poole to play off
the ball more.

Poole rebounded from a disappointing two-points-on-four-shots outing in
Monday’s win over the Kings, scoring 18 points on 13 shots Friday night.

Coach Steve Kerr thought Friday’s success was a promising sign for Poole.

“You knew it was going to happen,” he said. “Jordan is a proven player,
he helped us win a title last year. He’s done this now plenty of times.
So it was just a matter of time for him to break out.”