Jordan Poole is hitting his stride, joins Splash Brothers in the NBA
record books
Jordan Poole, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson join an exclusive NBA club
>Golden State Warriors’ Jordan Poole celebrates a 3-point shot in the
fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., Friday, March 31, 2023. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
By SHAYNA RUBIN | srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: April 1, 2023 at 6:30 a.m. | UPDATED: April 2, 2023 at 2:07 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/04/01/jordan-poole-is-hitting-his-stride-joins-splash-brothers-in-the-nba-record-books/

SAN FRANCISCO — Jordan Poole’s 30-foot 3-pointer in the second quarter
of the Warriors’ win on Friday night against the San Antonio Spurs made
history.

With it, he, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson became the second trio of
teammates to each make at least 200 3-pointers in a season. James
Harden, Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson are the only other trio in NBA
history to do it during the 2016-17 Houston Rockets season.

“It’s pretty special,” Poole said. “Especially being the second team in
history to do it. Up there with really big company and we still have a
couple games to go. Shoutout to those guys for raising the level of
competition, not only in the game but in practice and being around these
guys for the four years that I’ve been. I’ve learned a lot and it’s
really special to be part of.”

The Warriors have hit plenty of 3-point records over the last decade
with the Splash Brothers duo at the forefront. Steph Curry holds the
all-time record; Curry and Klay Thompson set and broke their own records
for most combined 3s by a duo in NBA history numerous times; Thompson
holds the individual game 3-point record with 14 and the 2016 team
became the first to hit 1,000 3s in a season (now a common benchmark).
To name a few.

But the Warriors’ success isn’t sustained without evolution. And after a
rocky start to his Warriors career, Poole is part of their growth —
pushing his way into the record books and the Splash Brother family.

“it’s more a testament to him, what he’s been through, coming back,”
Curry said. “He set a career record this year for 3s made. It’s not
surprising but it is amazing to know that he’s still pushing the
envelope of what he can accomplish this year. We know we can shoot a lot
of 3s, but it’s about connecting the volume and efficiency that we pride
ourselves on.”

Poole’s 205 3-pointers rank as 10th most in the NBA — Thompson leads the
league with 285 and Curry is third with 257. But as much as he’s been
Golden State’s iron man, he’s had a rocky season, in part, because that
all-important shooting efficiency has wavered. Up until the start of
this Warriors’ four-game home stand, Poole shot 33% from 3 on 7.7
attempts per game.

But a far more efficient and electric version of Poole has showed up in
force these last four games. He’s looking a lot like the player who shot
44% from 3 last March and was draining tide-turning buzzer-beaters,
going full speed down hill to the rim and burying audacious heat checks
at an efficient clip during the 2022 playoffs.

Poole scored 27 points with six 3-pointers against the Spurs to complete
a four-game stretch in which he shot 44.7% on 8.3 attempts per game.
He’s averaging 27 points per game and the Warriors are outscoring
opposing teams by a cumulative 33 points when he’s on the court over
that stretch.

“I still know he has an All-Star game in his future,” Thompson said.
“He’s our future for the Warriors, obviously, and we got so lucky to get
a guy like him at the 28th pick. That doesn’t happen often. He’s so much
fun to play with — he’s a great scoring point guard as well as
facilitator and he has so much greatness ahead of him.”

The Warriors need Poole in playoff mode. For as prolific scorers Curry
and Thompson are, the defensive pressure a sharp Poole takes off both of
them takes the Warriors offense to a different level. When Poole is hot,
teams have to think twice about doubling Curry on defense or fear the
consequences.

“It’s been a really good stretch for him,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s
had good stretches for us in the past, but he’s been very consistent
scoring the ball. He’s in a good groove offensively and seems to be in a
good place.”

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Shayna Rubin | General Assignment Sports Reporter
Shayna Rubin is a Bay Area News Group sports reporter for The Mercury
News and East Bay Times. She covered the Oakland A's from 2019 to 2021
and, most recently, the Golden State Warriors' championship run in 2022.
Shayna is a San Francisco native. She is a graduate of San Francisco
State University with a BA degree in journalism and a MA degree in
broadcasting and electronic communication arts.