The Washington Wizards tried something new by benching Jordan Poole in Thursday's game against the Denver Nuggets.
Interim head coach Brian Keefe announced the move before the game, but initially chose not to reveal any changes to the fifth-year guard's starting lineup.
Rookie Bilal Koulibaly replaced Poole and started the game alongside Tyce Jones, Deni Avdija, Kyle Kuzma and Marvin Bagley III.
Poole scored 18 points on 4-of-17 shooting off the bench as the Wizards (9-46) lost 130-110, extending their losing streak to nine games. Keefe emphasized that the move is not a blow to the pool.
“It's a really positive thing. This is actually a credit to Jordan, and Jordan has had one of the highest net ratings since I took over, and I just want to see more of that.” Keefe told reporters before the contest. “This gives him an opportunity on that unit to be the lead handler, the lead decision-maker and kind of the offensive engine.”
Coach Keefe added that Poole was “professional” when he received the news that he would be coming off the bench, but perhaps this development is not ideal for the 24-year-old. It's been since Poole signed a four-year, $128 million extension with the Golden State Warriors less than a year ago, when he agreed to a trade for Chris Paul and a future draft pick. It was a rough road.
Poole was initially praised for making the most of his new start in Washington, but it didn't take long for things to turn around.
His shot selection continued to receive criticism, and the issues seemed to peak when he averaged eight points per game. 6 games in a row last week. In those games, he went 19-of-72 from the field and 8-of-41 from the 3-point line.
He is averaging 15.6 points per game this season, the lowest of his career since his breakout season with the Warriors in 2020-21. His shooting performance is 40 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from deep, his lowest since his rookie season.
But Poole is someone who bounced back from being sent to the G League two seasons after being a first-round pick in 2019, so it wouldn't be far-fetched to expect him to embrace this change for the team's success. is.
“It’s all about helping the group improve as a whole,” Keefe said. “One of the things I like about Jordan since I took over is that I've definitely given him the ball more and allowed him to be an elite decision-maker. Part of the roster With the opening up, he has a chance to do more of that and make the team more complete and play a better, full 48 minutes.”
